Curse of the Broken Pearl
by Reijiro
Summary: TT:3 Of turtles and tall ships… Is the pearl a curse, or a blessing? After all, the difference between the two is often nothing more than a point of view.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: WHEEEEE! TT3! _FINALLY_!

Thank you very much to artykidd, Shorty0908 and The REAL Cheese Monkey for the ultra fast reviews for the Epilogue for Celebrations and Revelations. Thank you too to anyone else who leaves a comment on that chapter after I uploaded this one! Hope y'all like this story too.

Many thanks as well to artykidd (thanks for the tip re: the brawl; figured a way for Raphie to get the good hit in! Hope you like it.) and CPQ for beta-reading and supplying bunnies. Believe it or not CPQ was helping me with some of the finer details for this one over a year ago now! Gees I need to write faster, LOL!

DISCLAIMER: I don't own the TMNT, or any related characters (much to their relief, I'm sure!) If there is anything else in this story you recognise from somewhere else, then I don't own that either.

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The moonlight glinted off the calm sea. Only the slightest breeze stirred to ruffle the hair of the old woman as she crouched on the edge of the rocks above the lapping water. Carefully she floated the miniature canoe and its precious cargo, giving it a light push out into the deeper water. The tide was running, creating a strong current past the island. The woman could feel it in her aged bones; her many years living in harmony with the sea giving her an innate sense of its' ways.

It wasn't long before the tiny canoe was caught in the tow of the water, swiftly getting drawn away towards the horizon. The old woman sent her hopes with it. She felt this was the last chance for her people, and she wasn't even sure if this was the answer. After all, the gods had allowed her tribe to dwindle, and she could not see how such an odd offering would bring them the help they so desperately needed.

It also wasn't their way to keep any part of a sacrifice, and she pondered on that as she glanced at the shard of pearl still in her hand. But who was she to question the dream Ayotl had sent her? She could only hope she had interpreted it correctly; and that in three days' time, the help would come.

She watched the canoe on its journey. She kept her vigil even after she was no longer sure if she could see it or if it was just her eyes playing tricks, making her think she could catch a glimpse of it as it crested the rolling waves in the distance. Finally, content the little canoe was well on its' way; she turned to scale the rocks and head back to her village. Reaching the top of the stony ridge, she glanced back, bringing her hand up to her brow to help her focus her sight. She thought she saw something on the horizon in the direction she expected the canoe to be.

Realising what it was, she sighed in disappointment. It was only one of the 'pale man' ships; the tall, bare masts looking like three skeletal fingers clawing at the night sky as the ship rode the current against the breeze. Such a vessel wasn't a new or unusual sight to her. They had become so common since the first time she had run screaming from the shore as a child; terrified by the huge, billowing white apparition that had floated into their waters. But they still sent a shiver of apprehension down her spine…

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It was Wednesday. That meant it was new comic day; the first of the year! Last Wednesday, all the shops had been closed for the New Year public holiday. So Mike had tagged along with Leo and Raph to help watch over Tau while she worked, and duck into a comic store as soon as the opportunity presented itself.

At first it seemed like his chance would never come, Leo quickly setting them to stealthy exercises on the roof tops surrounding Valentino's Bakery. The exertion and their long-coats making them sweat, despite the chill in the air. But then his bossy brother had made the mistake of starting a game of 'Hide and Seek'… It had taken Leo and Raph well over an hour to find him again. Which wouldn't have been too much of a problem except they managed to catch him almost unawares; engrossed as he was in the latest adventures of Spiderman.

Mike wasn't too sure about the existence of deities, but _something_ must've listened to his silent prayers to stop the lecture he was receiving; a Shell-cell sounding to interrupt the tirade. Leo held up a stern finger for quiet as he answered his phone.   
"Hello? --- Hi Casey. --- --- --- Uh huh, I'm sure Mike and Raph won't mind helping you out with that. --- Yep, the alley beside Valentino's. --- In ten minutes? Not a problem. Bye."

"What the heck was that all about?" demanded Raph. Mike wasn't too impressed at being volunteered for something without being asked first as well. But, from the threatening glint in his hot-headed brothers' eye, he decided he'd be better off just watching this brouhaha for now.   
"Casey has an urgent job; he wants a couple of us to help out with…" Leo attempted to explain levelly, before being cut off.   
"There's no way in hell I'm goin'!" growled Raph, crossing his arms and planting his feet square on the concrete. "If you're so happy to have us desert Tau, why don't _you_ go instead?"   
"If I could trust you to be sensible, I would." assured Leo, trying to keep his tone level. "But I'm not going to risk you and her having…any time alone together."

Mike took a small step back.   
"_What?_" ground out Raph, his muscles bunching as he clenched his fists, still tucked under his arms. "Since _that_'s all you seem to think about; I don't like _you_ havin' any time alone with her either!" he snarled.

Leo worked his jaw in stunned silence for a moment, before his own eyes narrowed in anger. Mike took another small step backwards.   
"Just what are you implying by that?" asked Leo, his voice soft but carrying a dangerous edge. "If you think I'd _ever_ be so dishonourable, as to…"   
"Guys! Guys!" Mike placated, just in time to distract his brothers from coming to blows. "I have the perfect solution! Why don't you two go, and I'll stay here and keep watch? That way, neither of ya will have ta worry about the other!" he grinned beguilingly. "Huh?" he tried to encourage a response as his brothers continued to stare at him in a scary kinda way.

"You have _got_ to be kidding!" exclaimed Raph. "I bet the 'Dragons' could come an' torch the fuckin' joint, with Tau inside! And you wouldn't notice a damn thing; too caught-up with your beak shoved in one of these!"   
"HEY!" protested Mike as Raph roughly snatched the comics from his brothers' hand and leapt backwards. Leo stopped Mike going after their red clad brother with a firm hand to his chest.   
"Raph has a point Mike. You can consider this work part of your punishment for sneaking off, into a public area, during daylight, when you should have been training. Part." Leo reiterated with a lecturing finger. "I'm sure Splinter will have something more for you once he hears about what you did."

"Awww, it wasn't _real_ training!" complained Mike, glancing desperately between the brother restraining him, and the one taunting him; dangling his comics just out of his reach. "Give 'em back!" Mike cried, giving Leo the slip to leap towards Raph, making a grab for his precious comic books. Laughing, Raph held them up over his head; making Mike jump after them futilely as he kept shifting them away from his brothers' grasping hands.

Leo watched them for a few moments until he decided it had gone far enough, Mike starting to get truly upset.   
"Alright, you've had your fun now Raph, give 'em back." he directed. Neither of his brothers' paid him any heed. "Raph, give them back. Now!" he tried again, stricter this time.   
"Bite me!" was Raphs' antagonistic reply.

Leo clenched his fists, his eyes mere slits as he tried to calm himself. He failed. Seeing an opening for a blow to Raphs' midriff, he lunged at it; determined to teach his brother to have a bit of respect for his authority. Mike stood stunned for a moment after Raph was suddenly downed right in front of him; watching his brothers pummel each other as they rolled away across the roof top.

A flash of colour reminded Mike what Raph had in his hand; crushed in the fist currently making none too gentle contact with Leos' face.   
"HEY! Watch the damn comics!" he yelled irately. Realising his warning was falling on deaf ears; Mike launched himself into the fray with a cry fierce enough to earn a look of shock from each of his brothers before he landed atop them. Fists flying, each of the brothers vented their frustrations upon the other two. There were no alliances in this scuffle…

The beeping of a car horn, echoing up from the alley that yawned between the roof-top the turtles were on and Valentino's Bakery, interrupted the three way brawl shortly after it started. All of the turtles froze where they lay, to perk their heads up at the sound.   
"That'll be Casey now!" snapped Leo, wiping the back of his hand across his mouth to confirm his now swollen lip wasn't bleeding. "Get going you two." he ordered as he got to his feet. "He's expecting you."   
"Shit!" cursed Raph, glancing towards the alley as he released Mike from a head-lock. "Why don't we call Donnie and get him to go instead o' me?" he asked Leo, as he and Mike stood.   
"Because Don is busy overhauling the Sewer Slider, and it'd hold Casey up if he had to head all the way over to the Lair now. Besides, I don't think Don would be to keen to…whatever; I told Casey _you_ would help him out, Raph." Leo reasoned; his patience quickly wearing thin.

Mike took the opportunity, whilst Leo and Raph were talking, to make a grab for his crumpled property; Raph managing to whip the comics out of his reach at the last moment.   
"Give those back, they're mine!" pouted Mike in annoyance. Raph glared at him briefly, then at the alley and finally back at Leo. With a low growl he realised he was out of options, short of beating Leo to a pulp. And as much as that idea appealed right now, he knew that would take a fair bit of time, and Casey was honking his damn horn again.   
"No-way nimrod!" he snarled at Mike, tucking the comic books he held captive inside his coat. "This is my insurance you'll do your fair share!"

"You know you can trust me to keep her safe, right?" asked Leo softly. If looks could kill he would've become a steamy pool of goop with a blue bandanna floating in it. But then Raph gave a begrudging nod and led the way for a grumbling Mike down to their impatient friend below.

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'Attica Handyman Services' was a totally legitimate business; at first glance. It was a one-man enterprise that provided services as varied as vehicle maintenance, building renovations and repairs, and occasionally basic security work. There were many such operators in the city of New York. What set this particular company apart from its rivals was the 'cash jobs' an exclusive circle of trusted clients could call upon.

If these clients needed something done quickly and, often more importantly, discreetly; 'Attica' was the company they could trust with it. So long as they didn't ask too many questions; like how one man could do a complete re-fit of an entire apartment in one night, or could persuade any groups of troublemakers insisting on terrorising their buildings to stop the abuse with surprisingly little fuss.

Of course, many of these clients suspected the handyman actually had help; more than likely illegal immigrants or the like, hence the need for the cash payment and the secrecy. However, they were never pushed to provide more of these kinds of jobs, and even had their requests for such work turned down on occasion. On top of that, even though the 'cash jobs' attracted fees anything up twice as much as those charged by the same company for works 'above board', they still worked out much cheaper than any other company would charge to do the same quality work in the same time-frame. So that begged the question; how could any additional workers, skilled ones at that, be retained on such meagre and sporadic wages? And how could they be called upon so swiftly at times as well?

This afternoon Mr Grayson, the elderly owner of a large brown-stone apartment building in one of the seedier parts of town, wasn't concerning himself with such enigmas. He was just glad he was able to rely on such great service from 'Attica'.

'WHOMP!' The wooden door didn't stand a chance against the kick that assaulted it, splintering down the middle to allow half to swing back on its hinges, the other side still held in place by the numerous bolts and locks that usually secured it closed. The stench of rotten food and stale pot fumes billowed into the hallway, making the two men standing there quickly step back and cover their mouths.   
"Oh well done, Mr Jones!" exclaimed Mr Grayson, his voice muffled behind his hand. "Here, this should be the key for the windows. But if not…"

Casey nodded and took the small key offered to him.   
"Yeah, thanks. I'll try not to break anythin' I don't have ta." he assured, before pushing his way through the damaged door into the dim apartment.   
"Thankyou!" Mr Grayson called through the door after him. "You should have an hour or so before he comes back, I'll keep watch and warn you if he comes back early." Casey gave a thumbs-up to show he understood, before he disappeared into one of the back rooms as he did a quick survey of the apartment.

Happy he was finally about to get rid of his worst tenant, Mr Grayson pulled the fractured door closed and attempted to seal it shut with some duct tape before he left to keep watch from his own apartment window. He had no idea if the key he'd given to Mr Jones would work since the tenant had breached the terms of his lease –not that there were many such terms the scumbag _hadn't_ broken– by adding the extra unauthorised locks to his door. However, considering how much more than the bond he was going to have to outlay before he could rent that apartment again, he certainly wasn't about to worry over the possible cost of an additional window pane. That was a good thing too.

Once he was sure Mr Grayson had left, Casey shoved a small cabinet across the front door, just for good measure. Finding the key wouldn't even slot into the lock on the window, he grabbed some of the old newspapers lying around and spread them on the floor beneath the sill, wincing at the sound of metal scratching glass as he did so. At his ready signal, his two friends that were now stood out on the fire escape landing shoved against the glass, the pane breaking neatly where it had been scored by the point of a sai to topple onto the paper below.

"Oh man!" exclaimed Mike, slapping a hand over his face as he climbed through the window. "How can anyone live like this? And I thought the sewers smelt bad!"   
"C'mon guys." urged Casey. "We only got about an hour to get all this junk outta here. Usual drill; chuck anything 'suspicious' by the front door, the rest goes down in the alley."   
"'Suspicious'?" questioned Mike. "Does that include, like, any dead bodies we find?"   
"Sure smells like somethin's died in here." grumbled Raph in agreement. "You don't pay us enough to deal with this kinda shit, Case." he teased.   
"_I_ don't get paid enough to deal with this shit." Casey countered. "But it's better'n not gettin' paid at all!"

One of the benefits Casey had found in working with the turtles was the banter they shared made the unpleasant jobs seem to go faster. Checking his watch after he tossed the last bag of crud down to Mike waiting below, he realised they had manage to empty the apartment of almost all the evicted tenants' belongings well within an hour. They had piled up the dismantled furniture and bags of clothes and stuff a few feet away from the dumpsters in the alley below, in-case their owner wanted to collect them. The only exceptions were the mattress that wouldn't fit through the window, and all of the drug paraphernalia they had found as they gathered everything; now stacked beside the front door.

"Well; that's that then!" nodded Raph, dusting off his hands as he surveyed the empty rooms. "You need us for anythin' else, Case? I wanna get goin'."   
"Nah, don't think so. I'll probably hang here a while to head off any trouble; so yer good to go, if ya want. Oh, an' thanks gu…" Casey was interrupted by a frantic knocking at the door. Glancing behind him as he went, he made sure Raph had vanished before he opened the door. "Mr Grayson…?"   
"Mr Jones!" his employer anxiously cut him off "He's here, he's back! He's on his way up now!"   
"Alright, chill. I c'n take this loser if needs be. You got nothin' ta worry 'bout." assured Casey.

The two turtles spied on the scene from their hiding place on the fire escape as the evictee arrived at his former home.   
"What the hell? What've you done; old man?" demanded a young, dishevelled looking guy who shouldered his way roughly through the broken door. He wasn't heavily built, but he was tall; and he quickly drew a wicked looking switchblade as he realised all his stuff was gone. "I warned ya what it would cost ya if ya did this!" he snarled.   
"A…and I warned y…you what would happen if you didn't pay your rent. I…it's been three months!" stammered the elderly gentlemen in fear, though he stood his ground.

"Don't do anythin' stupid now." Casey warned the youth, having to make a quick jump backwards as the switchblade sliced through the air where his abdomen had been a split-second before.   
"Tch! _That_ was stupid." lectured Casey briefly before he made his move, quick as a flash. Grasping his attackers wrist above the handle of the knife, he savagely twisted it outwards. The hoodlum didn't drop the blade, but it dangled limply from his fingers as Casey turned under his arm, using his impetus and the strong hold he had to pull his opponent over his shoulder to make him land heavily, flat on his back on the wooden floorboards.

"Way to go Case!" whispered Mike as they watched the young ruffian get unsteadily to his feet; winded but looking keen to go another round. Unfortunately for him, so was Casey.   
"Yeah." agreed Raph, under his breath. "Case c'n handle this, we better get going."   
"Aww, but…"   
"No 'buts' Mike." Raph scowled, already making his way down the fire escape, Mike reluctantly in tow. "Case can handle himself; we gotta long walk home and Tau woulda finished work ages ago."

"Anxious to see your 'girlfriend', huh?" jibed Mike as they dropped the last couple of feet to the alley floor. Raph shot him a filthy look as they swiftly headed into the deeper shadows to find a secluded man hole.   
"What?" shrugged Mike with a cheeky grin. "You _do_ like her, you can't tell me you don't! She likes you too, though I can't see why… So what's the problem, huh?"   
"Shove it Mike, it's…difficult. And none o' your damn business anyway." answered Raph, grunting as he pulled back a sewer cover. They both waited until they were safely underground to continue their conversation unabated.

"It is so my 'damn business'! You're my bro! And she would make a great sister…" argued Mike. Raph rolled his eyes;   
"Don't be a moron. It's not like she's gonna live with us for ever or anythin'."   
"She might!" whined Mike. "If you…you know. Then she'd have to stay! I mean, how could she leave? Unless…of course…you're no good in the bedroom."

Mike managed to duck the punch despite his sudden fit of giggles, sprinting away down the tunnel with Raph in hot pursuit. After ten minutes of hard running, and having lost his brother for the moment, Mike stopped to take a breather. Leaning on his knees to catch his breath, he thought he spotted something glimmering in the shallow stream of filth running through the wide channel cut into the floor of the tunnel. Curious, he bent over for a closer look when a brief glimpse of red reflected from the dark waters' surface was all the warning he got of a kick to his back side.

Raph watched in smug satisfaction as Mike yelped, pin-wheeled his arms frantically for a second then inexorably toppled forward into the sludge with a wail to land on his hands and knees.   
"That was rotten Raph!" cried Mike. He straightened to pull his hands out, flicking off the muck that almost reached his elbows towards his chuckling brother; Raph easily dodging the spray.

"You're just damn lucky you've still got my comics. If they'd gotten wet…" Mike threatened his sibling with a grubby fist. His weight shifted as he moved to stand up, and Mike felt something digging into his shin. Remembering the shiny thing he'd been investigating prior to his dip, he reached back down into the water to retrieve it before he clambered out of the run-off.

"What's that ya got?" asked Raph, being careful not to get too close in order to avoid any sudden reprisals, or getting his own feet wet in the grimy water pooling about Mikes' feet as it dribbled off his trench-coat and pants. Mike ignored him, busy rubbing away the muck encrusted on the pearl necklace he'd found. All the gems were irregularly shaped and coloured, with the smallest and darkest set near the clasp.

In the middle of the strand was a pink teardrop shaped pearl that looked like it might almost be the size of the end of his thumb. The centre-piece was half-covered with a clump of something –Mike didn't want to dwell on what– and he gave a little groan in disappointment as he cleaned it off to reveal the bottom section of the pearl was missing; leaving a ragged, dull flat section where the bottom of the teardrop should have been.

"Oh well." he shrugged. "'spose there's gotta be some reason you'd find something like this tossed down here. It'll still be pretty though, once it's cleaned up. Hey, you know what? You should give it to Tau!" enthused Mike, holding out the necklace for his brother. Raph jerked his head away from the sodden necklace to avoid it hitting his beak.   
"Ugh! No way! She hates girly crap like that. Give it to Ape if ya want, just make sure you disinfect it first! Twice!" he exclaimed, grimacing in distaste at the smell that wafted from it. A little crestfallen, Mike cupped the strand in his hands to study it in the meagre light for a moment. Raph started to move away, and Mike shoved the pearls into his coat pocket and quickly caught up to walk behind his brother.

"I reckon you _should_ give it to Tau." Mike pressed again. Raph rolled his eyes.   
"Why?" he asked shortly. "She only ever wears that dolphin necklace for the tracker on it, an' never any of her fancy stuff. And she's said plenty of times she doesn't like dressing up and all that crud. So why give it to her if she's never gonna wear it? Huh?"   
"'cos that's not the point!" argued Mike. "Girls like to know that you're thinkin' about 'em, even if the stuff you give 'em isn't what they want or anything. I read that some of them even say they don't want stuff, when really they do! It's like a test or something; that you'll still go out of your way for her, despite her telling you not to."

Raph stopped dead to turn around and quirk a sceptical eye-ridge at his brother.   
"Since when are you such a know-it-all 'bout women? And where the hell did you read a pile of bullshit like that?" he gave a disparaging chuckle. Mike pursed his lips in annoyance.   
"There was an article on it in that last issue of 'Men's Health' Leo got a couple of months ago. You should read it, those mags have heaps of info on how to deal with girls." he advised sincerely with a nod. Raph burst out laughing.   
"Yeah right! Whatever Mikey, I doubt Leo reads anything with 'how to deal with girls' in it!" he scoffed, setting off walking again.   
"True." agreed Mike, his tone dripping sarcasm. "He probably only gets it for the work out tips or recipes, nothing to do with all the pics of hot chicks in each issue at all!"

"I'm not falling for it, Mikey." warned Raph. "I've seen those mags, if they had girls in 'em there'd be a babe on the cover. All the ones I've seen have some dude on the front…"   
"Yeah," countered Mike. "But they're not like a 'Playboy' or anythin', they have all sorts of stuff in 'em, and lots of _real_ info on how to understand women an'… make 'em happy. One of the things they always say is you just have to be confident with 'em. You know, don't be afraid to make the first move. Chicks dig that kinda stuff…" he petered out under the glare his brother shot him over his shoulder.   
"What the hell d'ya mean by that?" demanded Raph, irately.   
"Uh, well, have you tried letting her know how you feel?" queried Mike. "If you don't wanna talk about it with her, maybe just try giving her a kiss; I'm sure she'll get the message."

They trudged along in silence for a moment as Mike waited for a response from Raph.   
"Helloooo? C'mon, what would one little kiss hurt, huh? I'm surprised you haven't tried to already!" pestered Mike.   
"What makes ya think I haven't?" muttered Raph, stoically looking ahead. Mike's jaw dropped.   
"Nah! Ya haven't. She woulda told me! Or you'd 've bragged about it. Or _something_! You wouldn't be able to keep something like _that_ a secret!"

Mike scrutinized the back of his brothers' head as they walked, wondering if he was telling the truth.   
"_If_ you did, then why aren't ya together already?" he probed.   
"'cos every time I think we're gettin' somewhere, she says she just wants ta stay friends. She's made it pretty clear that her lips are out of bounds." Raph grumbled. Mike cocked his head in consideration.   
"I can't believe I'm tellin' _you_ this, but maybe you should push it a little bit…"   
"No." Raph cut him off tersely.   
"Why not?" pouted Mike.   
"Because I… If I push it any harder…, I might loose control. I don't want her to…hate me. I couldn't stand that." he admitted quietly, Mike only just managing to catch what he was saying.

After contemplating his brothers' words with a befuzzled look on his face, Mike gave a little scoff.   
"I still don't believe you've kissed her, not properly anyway. And I'm certainly not just gonna take your word for it! And I reckon you gotta give 'er the necklace; if only to let 'er know you _do_ like her. You don't want to loose her to some other guy, who might be willing to get her attention by givin' her a trinket or two, do ya?"   
"Tau's not that shallow!" snapped Raph.   
"Fine." shrugged Mike nonchalantly. "I'll give it to her then."   
"Fine! You _do_ that bone-head. It'll be a laugh when she tells ya where to shove it!" Raph retorted.

"I'll bet ya anything she _will_ like it!" challenged Mike with a cheeky grin. Raph huffed out a breath before he stopped again to face his annoying brother.   
"Alright. You're on! If she hates it; you do all my chores for a month." he punted tersely. That gave Mike pause for a moment; Raph could get assigned a heck of a lot of extra chores over the course of a month. But, then again, he was probably looking at a few extra jobs coming his own way soon. He took it as a given that Leo would have marched straight to Splinter to report his little excursion from earlier.   
"Deal!" nodded Mike. "And if she likes it; you do mine!"

Raph sealed the deal with a curt nod before he swiftly stalked away down the tunnel, ignoring Mike continuing to prattle on behind him to mull over what his brother had said. He was certain Tau liked him, and he was sure she realised how he felt about her. So why _did_ she always insist on them being only friends? Oh, she had her reasons, he knew. She'd told him many a time. But then, she hadn't done anything to stop him kissing her at Christmas.

He supposed he could just pass that off as her following the tradition of kissing under the mistletoe, since she hadn't let him do it again since. Not on the lips anyway, though her 'cheek' now included anything else above her collarbone. He had thought to point out to her that he didn't think that was particularly correct, anatomically speaking. But then, he wasn't about to complain or risk losing the ground he'd gained with her either! Though in some ways it just frustrated him even more; made him think of what he wasn't allowed to do with her as opposed to being satisfied with what he could.

Maybe Mike was right, as improbable as that might seem; but maybe if he did do something more to let her know how he felt... Was she testing him, waiting on him to buy her chocolates or some such crud? What would happen if some other guy started to pay her some real attention with all that clichéd stuff? Raph shook his head in denial. No, he knew her better than Mike, better than just about anyone really. He was sure she wouldn't be impressed by the necklace at all, and would say as much… Yeah…

"Raph? Hey, Raph! Are you even listening to me?" Mike interrupted his musings by tugging on his sleeve. Remembering what Mikes' hands had been dunked in; Raph brusquely pulled his coat out of his grip.   
"No." he admitted bluntly.   
"Thanks bro." levelled Mike in sarcasm. "But ya gotta pay more attention to me! You're about to walk past the way home." he pointed out as he pushed open one of the many false walls that made up part of their security system. With a ghost of a sheepish smile Raph followed Mike into the new tunnel, making sure to close the entrance way again once they had passed through.

Five minutes later found them scrubbing down Mike and his clothes with the little hand-held shower-head Don had set up outside the door to Lair, to ensure a minimum amount of sewer water got tracked into their home. They were tying to be quiet, wanting to get cleaned up before they let everyone else know they were home. Still, Splinter opened the door as they were finishing up, to request an explanation regarding how Mike had gotten into such a state.

Their father listened to their account, such as it was. He suspected the tale his sons gave him omitted many of the finer details. Then he sent them both directly to their bathroom upstairs; Mike to get properly scrubbed up, and Raph to set his brothers clothes to soak in sanitizer.   
"You will also do all the Laundry for the next two weeks." Splinter instructed Raph. "You know better than to push your brother into the dirty water." The Sensei spotted the odd look that passed between his sons before they headed up the stairs; but suspected it might be best he didn't know why it was Michelangelo that had looked more perturbed than Raphael, despite not being the one issued with the extra chores.

A short while later the two brothers, Mike now thoroughly cleaned, descended to the main floor. They wandered over to stand by Leo and Splinter who were sitting watching the evening news on the bank of monitors.   
"So, can we get pizza tonight? It's a bit late for me to start cooking now…" asked Mike hopefully.   
"Nope." answered Leo. "I've made a start on dinner, it'll be ready soon."   
"Awww." moaned Mike, not looking forward to his brothers' inevitably very healthy and incredibly plain fare. "I hope you've actually used some meat this time, a dressing on the salad would be nice too…" he grumbled. Raph ignored him to ask,   
"Where's Tau?"

Leo tipped his head towards the lab.   
"In there. Safe and sound." he emphasised. "You might as well go fetch them; I'll be serving out in around five minutes." Raph didn't bother with a reply, heading straight for the door to his brainy brothers' sanctuary. Mike decided to tag along too.

Stepping into the lab, they both spotted the Sewer Slider parked a short distance away, the back end of the vehicle angled towards them. Its' bonnet was up and a loud clatter sounded from the other side where Don and Tau were working, shielded from sight.   
"Hang on, I should be able to… just let me get this off." Taus' voice reached Raph and Mike, both of them stopping in their tracks as one of her baggy shirts got tossed into view to land on a nearby bench.   
"Are you sure? I don't know if you can." Don sounded a little fretful.   
"It's a bit of a tight fit, but if I just… ugh." Tau grunted lightly.   
"Wait! Here, use some of this; it'll give you some lubrication."   
"Oh! That's cold!" she gasped.   
"Heh, sorry!"   
"Much better though, now I should be able to…"

Mike risked a surreptitious glance at Raph as the sound of someone shifting about for a moment reached them. He'd leapt to a pretty shocking guess regarding what was happening on the other side of that hood; and from the way his brothers' face had drained of colour, his jaw hanging lax, he figured Raph had done the same. It couldn't be though…, could it? Don would never…

"That's it! Keep going! You're so close now!" they heard Don encouraging.   
"Yeah!" gasped Tau. "If I c'n just… nearly there!"   
"Just a little further…"   
"Damn it!" she cursed quietly.   
"Stop if you want, I don't want you to hurt yourself! I can always…"   
"No! It's alright. I c'n do it. If I can, uh, twist a bit and get the angle right… I should be able to fit…ngh."   
"Yep! That's it, you got it!" they shared a little, relieved chuckle. "Be careful now…ease it slowly." Don warned, though his brothers could hear the delight in his voice.

Mike gave up being secretive about his watch on Raph. His brother obviously didn't even notice him looking, and Mike was very concerned about the way his hands were starting to twitch, his right eye-ridge too.

"Yeah... _Yeah_!" came Dons' voice, starting to get excited.   
"Ta-DAH!" sang Tau.   
"OH! THANK YOU! Thank you so _much_!" Don enthused, stepping out from behind the hood with a little spanner clutched tight in both hands, too enamoured with the tool to notice his audience.   
"Not a problem at all!" Tau assured him breezily as she also came into view. She had her back to Raph and Mike as she headed to the nearby bench, grabbed a rag and started to wipe the streaks of grease, mingled with a clear gel, off her arm. The muck almost reached up to her shoulder.

"No, really! Thank you!" beamed Don, as he moved to join her at the bench. "I know it's a bit silly, it's only a spanner, but it was one of the first tools I ever got. It'd break my heart to lose it. And I would've had to dismantle half the engine block to get it back out again myself. I certainly owe you one!"   
"Well, in that case, I'm hoping you have a way I can save this!" she exclaimed, tugging on the front of the grey singlet she was wearing; assessing a large grease stain she'd just spotted on it. Don turned to examine the mark briefly, after placing his rescued spanner carefully into his tool box.   
"That shouldn't pose a problem at all. I have this great degreaser I formulated a few years ago. It should make short work of that!" he assured her.

"Oh good! S'pose I should go change before din… Oh! Hi guys!" she smiled as she spotted the two stood behind the Sewer Slider. "You ok?" she asked, her face quickly clouding with concern at their expressions.   
"You do look a little pale." added Don as they made their way over to his brothers.   
"It's nuthin'. I'm fine." snapped Raph, turning his head away from Tau as she stopped in front of him. She wasn't daunted, until he took a quick half-step back as she tried to reach for his face.   
"I said 'I'm _fine_!'" he reiterated sharply as he shot a glare at the floor at her feet. Then he turned and stalked swiftly out of the lab.

Mike grinned sheepishly in the face of the worried looks he got from Tau and Don.   
"Uh, he's just tired. Yeah. You know, 'workin' for th' man' and all that? I'm sure he'll be fine after dinner. Really!" he tried to assure them. Unconvinced, the two shared a concerned glance.   
"Well, c'mon!" Mike tried to grin encouragingly. "Dinner'll be on the table by now! After you!" he invited them past him with a dramatic sweeping bow. Don gripped Taus' shoulder in consolation as they wandered out of the lab.   
"I'm sure it _is_ nothing; he'll be okay." he murmured, as much to convince himself as her; getting a small nod and an uncertain crooked smile from the girl in return.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Sorry this one is a little late! My bad. I so-o-o-o-o-o need to get myself another lap top soon!

Thank you very much to greshunkai, Shorty0908, The REAL Cheese Monkey and TheIncredibleDancingBetty for the reviews for Chapter 1. Glad you all got a giggle out of the little 'mis-interpretation' at the end of it.

Many thanks as well to artykidd and CPQ for beta-reading. You both do a wonderful job of catching flubs and tweaking bunnies for me.

DISCLAIMER: I don't own the TMNT, or any related characters (much to their relief, I'm sure!) If there is anything else in this story you recognise from somewhere else, then I don't own that either.

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Mike was a bit worried about giving the necklace to Tau. He had spent a fair bit of time carefully scrubbing it clean after she'd gone to bed the night before, and had then left it to soak in disinfectant until the morning, hidden in a cabinet in their bathroom. Taking his brothers' advice; he'd tipped out the old solution, given it a quick check over to make sure he hadn't missed any muck then left it soaking in fresh disinfectant during their morning training session. As soon as Tau had left for work, he had rinsed it thoroughly and left it to dry out. He was quite pleased with the way his efforts had brought out the lustre of the pearls, even if they did now smell like a hospital ward.

He'd been relieved that Raph had gone along with Leo to keep an eye on Tau. Since the incident in the laboratory the evening before, Raph hadn't exactly been 'Mr Sunshine'. And Leo was the only one that deserved to put up with the hot-head in such a mood right now, in Mikes' opinion anyway. Raph hadn't growled at Tau again, but then she had been giving him a respectful wide-berth, despite her obvious concern and confusion regarding his sudden, dark disposition.

Nervously playing with the strand of gems hidden in his belt pocket, Mike wondered if he'd just make matters worse by giving her the gift now. But, then again, he and his brother had made a bet. Besides, Raph had told him to give it to her, it's wasn't like it would be a surprise to him or anything. In his own eternally optimistic way, Mike figured all this might even help get the couple together in the end. If Raph thought he might be at risk of losing Tau to someone else, it might spur his brother onto doing more to cement their relationship.

Having just retrieved the necklace from the bathroom, Mike was stood a little distance behind the couch as he pondered; everyone else was settled in the living area to relax with a little TV after dinner. Raph and Tau were seated on the sofa, albeit one at each end. Leo was lying back on the plastic recliner, and Don was busy typing away on the PC set next to the monitors. A commercial break started and Splinter rose from his armchair to head to the kitchen, intent on making himself a pot of tea. Mike decided now was as good a time as any…

Tau gave a little sigh as she surreptitiously eyed her friend sitting further along the couch. She had no idea what he'd gotten upset about and was trying to figure out a way to get him alone so they could talk. Her thoughts were disrupted as something dropped down to dangle close in front of her face. Surprised, she jerked her head back, glancing up between Mikes' forearms either side of head to see him grinning above her.  
"What d'ya think?" he asked. "D'ya like it?" As she focused her vision on the thing he was holding up for her perusal, she gasped.  
"Oh! Ah, that's really…nice! Mike." she flustered. "Where'd you get something like that?"

The commotion got the attention of his brothers, Don leaving the computer to have a closer look for himself at what Mike was holding. Leo sat up to peer over the arm of the couch, past Raph who had folded his arms with a huff, pointedly trying to appear as if he were totally disinterested in what was occurring beside him.  
"Found it!" Mike explained to her proudly. "Thought you might like it. Wanna try it on?"  
"Um, I dunno…oh!" He didn't give her much of a chance to argue, draping the necklace around her throat to fiddle with the small, intricate catch that looked to be carved from bone.

"So? You _do_ like it, don't ya?" he asked again as he continued to fumble. Between his thick fingers, and her ponytail and shirt collar getting in the way of his view, he wasn't having much luck.  
"Ahh, it _is_ very, um…, beautiful." she admitted, reverently touching the gems. They almost seemed to glow against the black of the singlet she wore under her open shirt. "But you shouldn't be giving something like this to me. You should save it; for someone…special." Tau insisted.

Mike paused in his work with the catch, leaning forward to croon in her ear, just loud enough for his brothers to hear.  
"But you _are_ special to us." he grinned roguishly. "And at least one of us finds _you_ beautiful too!" Sensing his work was done, seeing the side of her cheek flush crimson, he swiftly ducked down behind her to hide from the dark scowls two of his brothers immediately treated him to.  
"Mi-i-ike…" drawled Raph in dire warning, the same time as Leo snapped,  
"Michelangelo!" in sharp irritation. Mike desperately tried to join the catch, something in him needing to get that done before he could attempt to bolt from either the impending lecture, or pummelling; quite possibly both.

"A-HA!" he announced in triumph as he managed to succeed in securing the necklace; leaping up to see Don was standing just in front of Tau, looking quite nervous at the turn of events. Leo and Raph were on their feet as well, their expressions confirming he had hit some sort of mark with both of them. He flashed them a sheepish grin and made to dash away from their advance, when a surprised cry from Tau gave everyone pause.

"What the shell?" exclaimed Don; his sentiment reflected on Raph and Leos' faces as they all started staring at Tau. Wondering what the fuss was about, Mike leaned over the top of her again to see the base of the broken pearl had started to glow; a brilliant, shimmering blue. An instant later the light extended, looking like a finger of sunlit water. Before anyone could say a word, the light split and shot out to envelope each of the turtles and Tausha.

Instinctively, Tau took a deep breath and held it as the Lair quickly seemed to dissolve away around them. The light coalescing at the same time to become the water it so closely resembled. Far above, sunlight beckoned from a small aperture as the rest of the glimmer vanished from the deep, dark body of water they were now submerged in.

No longer able to see anything but the tiny opening shining above, Tau strove desperately towards it. She almost panicked as it flickered out for a moment, until she realised it was one of the turtles blocking her view as they swam on above her. Tau had always been a strong swimmer, but she was struggling against the weight of her clothes and began to despair that now matter how hard she pushed the water, the surface never seemed to get any closer.

She wasn't too surprised the turtles had surged ahead, they were turtles after all. However, she was still relieved to see the light distorted by ripples as they broke the surface far above. Her lungs and throat ached for air, her limbs felt like lead, and her vision was starting to fail to an insidious darkness creeping in from all sides. She hoped they'd at least let her father know he didn't have to worry for her anymore, realising she had slowly started to sink despite her continuing to fight vainly towards the light.

Tau had given her struggle all she had, her movements slowing against her will as her muscles ran out of fuel. Suddenly, something clutched her about the waist in a grip strong enough to force the last of the air out of her lungs. Somehow she fought the incredible urge to suck in a breath as the water rushed past her, too numb to feel if the thing clutching her did so with teeth or not.

Whatever it was, it dragged her swiftly to the surface where she finally managed to gulp a lungful of precious air, along with a fair amount of seawater. That sent her into a coughing fit that did little to help her regain her breath, though it was then she realised she couldn't move her arms as she was being pulled through the water by them as well.

The next thing she knew, she was being hefted onto a rock ledge; someone turning her onto her side to belt her heftily on the back. Recovering from the extra bout of coughing and spluttering up sea water that induced, she managed to lift her head to blink at her rescuer; her eyesight still too blurry to tell who it was. She thought she recognised the silhouette though.  
"RAPH!" she cried joyously, sitting up to clutch him around the neck in as strong a grip as she could muster.

"Ah, no." corrected Leo, attempting to peel her off. Her mistake registering, she quickly let him go to tuck her hands in her lap; the movement making her sway unsteadily until a hand on her back helped to stabilize her.  
"Huh? _You_ saved me?" she asked in confusion.  
"We all helped!" grinned Mike, kneeling by her other side.  
"Oh! Ah, thank you. All of you!" she smiled sheepishly, looking around blearily at her friends.  
"You're welcome, babe! Anytime!" assured Mike, holding his arms out wide. "Do I get _my_ hug now?" he asked cheekily.

Tau gave Mike a weak smile, but turned away as she felt the steadying hand on her back tremble slightly before it was taken away. She followed Raph as best she could with her gaze, as he stood from where he'd been knelt behind her to stalk away; using the back of his hand to brusquely rub the salt-water from his eyes to survey the cave.

"What now, Leo?" prompted Don. Leo nodded towards the only exit he could see; the hole in the roof of the cave a short climb away that was also the only source of light they had.  
"That the only way out?" he asked Raph, getting a grunt of affirmation in reply. "Don; you help Tau. Raph and I will take point. Mike; you've got our backs. And Mike?"  
"Yeah?"  
"Put a lid on it for now. I want everyone keeping their minds on the job, until we can figure out what's going on." instructed Leo levelly.

The roof of the cave was quite low; the climb up to the gap in the rock easy and Leo didn't argue as Raph took the lead. At least it was easier for his sibling to scramble through the hole with his weapons already drawn. Trying to follow his brother swiftly into the open, Leo had to tap him on the carapace to get him to shift out of the way. As Raph complied with a small side-step, Leo spotted what had given the hot-head pause.

They had emerged into a sizeable jungle clearing, surrounded in part by a natural rock wall, the rest by a tall palisade of pale wood covered in strange symbols and carvings of animals; mainly sea creatures. In front of them stood a small, ancient woman. Her dark skin so wrinkled and covered in markings it took Leo a few moments to register she was wearing nothing but a grass skirt. Especially since he was somewhat distracted by the small army of natives in similar attire standing a short distance behind her.

There were a few men fronting the crowd, most either very young or very old, but all holding spears or crude hatchets by their side. The rest of the mob consisted of women of all ages, many of which were armed as well. Uncertain if the humans posed a threat to them or not, Leo gave a small, respectful bow to the wise-woman. As she returned the gesture the rest of the tribe fell to their hands and knees in silent reverence. Raph and Leo shared a nervous glance. Something caught Leos' eye and he looked up to gasp in quiet awe at the massive sea turtle head carved from the rock above and behind them.

The only sound in the clearing was the distant crash of surf against the far side of the rock wall, until Don poked his head out of the opening.  
"Is it safe?" he asked in a whisper, unable to see anything past his brothers' shells.  
"I think so; just be quiet, no sudden movements." replied Leo under his breath. Don gave a nod of understanding, creeping out of the cave entrance to turn and reach back down to help Tau out. As the sodden girl stumbled into view a low, but unmistakably hostile, murmur rose from the gathered natives, to die down at a swift hand signal from the wise-woman.  
"Oh boy." breathed Don as he took in the scene, getting jostled a little by Mike pushing his way out of the cave behind him.

The wise-women held one hand cupped in front of her chest, and as Mikes' eyes widened at the sight that greeted him, something hidden on her palm shimmered brilliant blue. Taus' necklace responded with a brief glow of its own, making the girl quick-step backwards with an anxious yelp, desperately trying to tug the stand of pearls off her neck.  
"Stop!" Leos' curt command snapped Tau out of her panic. She froze and slowly looked up to see the army of natives were all glaring at her, back on their feet with their weapons at the ready. Keeping her movements as calm and unhurried as possible, she let go of the necklace and held up her open hands with as ingratiating a smile as she could manage.

Stepping forward, the wise-woman spoke in her own tongue, the language sounding quite musical and utterly baffling to the turtles. Leo also stepped forward, and gave her another small bow.  
"We don't know what you are saying." he explained carefully, tapping himself by his ear with a slow shake of his head, in the hopes she would understand his sign language if nothing else.

The beady dark eyes of the old woman lit with comprehension, and she haltingly tried again.  
"For you, we thank Ayotl. Why has he sent…tlahtlacolli?" she frowned, gesturing towards Tau. "His reasons, he must have." she nodded sagely.  
"Huh? Who's 'Atol'? And 'tah…', 'thal…', 'thingamajig'?" asked Mike with a laugh, earning a scowl from all his brothers as the wise-women gaped at him in disbelief.  
"Ayotl!" she pointed at the carving in the rock behind them. "How you not know your tecuhtzintli? Your… chief?"  
"They think we've been sent by their _god_, Mike." Leo leaned back to enlighten his kin quietly through gritted teeth. "Try not to insult them!"

"Ohhh!" nodded Mike. "Yeah! Ol' Atol and us go waaay back!" he assured the old woman with a grin. "I'm Mikey by the way!" he leaned forward, almost in a bow, and gregariously held out his hand for her to shake. She eyed him warily for a moment.  
"Old; I am. And…honoured." she started cautiously. "Would you not like a younger bed-mate?"  
"Wha…?" Mike screwed up his face in confusion. Leo dragged his hand down his own face then grabbed Mikes outstretched arm and forced him to step back behind him again, whispering harshly,  
"You just came on to her! Do not move, speak, _anything_; until we know what we're dealing with. Clear?"  
"I…I did…? _No wa_…mmph!" stammered Mike; silenced as Raph wrapped a hand tight over his mouth.

"Please forgive my…brother. Where we come from, what he did, is a way for friends to greet; nothing more." Leo explained to the wise-woman sincerely.  
"You not know our ways?" she questioned, though she gazed up at the sculpture for her answers. "Why would Ayotl not teach you? Ahh, he _is_ wise. For this, _their_ way is what you need to know." she spoke softly, almost to herself.  
"'Their' way?" asked Leo.  
I take you to meet them soon." she assured, then pointed at Tau. "This tlahtlacolli? She is…yours?"  
"Uh, yes. She is…under our protection." explained Leo hesitantly; unsure what the problem regarding Tau was, or what the right answer would be to make sure she didn't end up in trouble with the tribe.

The old woman gazed intently at Tau for a long moment. Then, glancing back up at the stone turtle with a wry little smile, she seemed to draw her own conclusion regarding the girl. Facing her tribe, she made an announcement in their language. Some relaxed their grip on their weapons, some didn't.

The wise-woman opened her hand, holding it up for all to see it was the missing section of the broken pearl. She then swiftly pushed it into place against its other half, Tau only just resisting the urge to jerk backwards at the sudden intrusion of her personal space; the bony knuckles of the woman pressed against her chest.

The sudden crawl of blue light that flickered around the break in the gem added to Taus' anxiety, she was still sodden from her last unexpected dip and very wary of taking another. However, she gasped in awe as the wise-woman pulled her hand away empty, the pink pearl now whole with not a mark to show it had ever been split.  
"You wear this, follow _our_ way; you safe here." the old woman advised her, tapping the large pearl with a gnarled finger and smiling wide enough to show the gaps in her teeth.  
"Oh. Great! Thank you." flustered Tau, trying hard to sound much more grateful than she felt for being stuck with wearing the necklace.

Turning back to her tribe, the old woman made another brief announcement, and the crowd started to disperse.  
"Kaelani." said the wise-woman, tapping herself on the chest as she addressed the turtles once more.  
"Leonardo." replied Leo, hand to his plastron and smiling as much in relief as greeting. Swiftly he introduced his brothers and Tausha as well.

"Come." invited Kaelani, leading them through the now empty clearing, towards a large hut built over the entrance to the enclave. The turtles and Tau trailed behind her, Raph and Mike bringing up the rear. Raph released Mikes' mouth, but drew him close as he gripped his brothers' shoulder instead.  
"Aww." he teased quietly. "Seems Leo doesn't like you havin' a 'girlfriend' either. Pity really, you woulda made such a 'cute' couple!"

Mike shuddered as he glared at Raph.  
"I think not!" he replied under his breath. "I'm not into wrinkles! Think you should go 'shake hands' with Tau though. She looks like she needs some TLC right now; and you'd better pick up your act bro. You've been treating her like crud since yesterday, and she didn't do anythin' wrong!"

Raph grimaced a little contritely, but didn't get a chance to reply as they entered the large hut. It took a moment for their vision to adjust to the darkness within, after the brilliant sunshine outside. Once it did, they found themselves in a long, low room that would easily accommodate all the villagers that had been stood in the clearing when they arrived, and then some.

There were three long fire pits running down the centre of the hall, and many woven grass mats and smooth hewn logs littering the sides. Near the exit to the clearing there were a couple of antique chairs, fairly soiled and chipped, but still looking incongruous in such surroundings. The room was empty now, except for six young women who were busy getting the fires started and building wooden cooking frames over them.

There were many other rooms running off the sides of the hall, and Kaelani invited the group through one of the doorways with a wave of her hand as she held back the woven grass door-hanging for them. She stopped Tau from entering with a vice-like grip on the girls' arm.  
"No. Only for…sacred ones. You stay." she ordered. Despite feeling a bit put out, Tau didn't argue, acquiescing with a nod as she stepped back. Kaelani called out to the working women and two quickly rushed over and followed the turtles through the doorway, with Kaelani disappearing into the room behind them.

Uncertain what to do with herself; Tau twiddled her thumbs nervously for a moment. Then, deciding she didn't want to just stand and wait for her friends to return –wanting a distraction from dwelling on why a couple of nubile, young, topless island girls had been sent along with them– she wandered over to see if she could help with the fires. Thinking she might get her clothes dried out a bit quicker that way as well.

"Tlahtlacolli, tlahtlacolli!" urged one of the women, shaking her head and waving Tau back away from the pits with a flick of her hands. She got a similar reaction from the rest of the women as she approached them to offer her help. The last one was a bit younger than the others and had at least given her a brief apologetic smile as she shooed her away, pointing towards the other exit from the hut. Dejectedly Tau pushed through the reed hangings to find herself stood back out in the sunshine, at the top of a short slope that led down to the rest of the village.

The place was bustling with activity. Villagers were gathering fish that had been drying on racks and a boar carcass was being skinned, off to one side under the surrounding trees. The rest of the populace were getting started painting each others bodies in intricate patterns of ochre and dressing in many necklaces and bangles of bone, shell and pearl.

The village consisted mainly of two long huts, built of pale wood with thatch roofs, up on small stilts on either side of an open common area. As Tau watched the hubbub, she guessed one was the men's hut; the other was for the women and children. At the far end there were a few small round huts built under the overhang of the jungle that almost surrounded the settlement.

The only gap in the dense trees opened up a view to a beach and a wide bay, surrounded by a curve of jagged, volcanic rock that created a natural harbour. There seemed to be some kind of wooden structure on the beach, a few long lengths of smooth, dark timber jutted at odd angles above the trees.

Wandering along the top of the slope a little to get a better view, Tau gasped as she realised it was a schooner sitting up on the beach. A couple of workers, who from their dress and skin colour were obviously not villagers, were sawing lengths of timber on the beach and handing them up to another guy on the sloping deck.

Tau blinked a couple of times then rubbed her eyes. It did her no good; it still looked for all intents and purposes like she was stood in some god forsaken village that was playing host to an old fashioned pirate ship! As far as she was concerned, this lunacy had well and truly gone far enough. She resolved to beat Mike for whatever he'd laced her dinner with as soon as she woke up from this nightmare.

Meanwhile, inside the ceremonial hut, the turtles were shown into a room that had its own small fire pit. To one side there was an area covered in a thick layer of cut reeds and grasses. A woven mat of the same materials rested atop the pile and a few blankets were draped over the whole structure. They were grey woollen blankets for the most part, plain and worn from use, but still seeming a little out of place. Leo guessed this was the village equivalent of a 'luxury suite', Kaelani quite keen to show them the intricate carvings on the walls and pointing out a full water bladder hung to one side of the door. The polished metal neck and fine chain to the cork stopper seemed to indicate it hadn't been created in the village either.

The two serving girls got busy fussing about the room; plumping the bedding, lighting the fire. And Kaelani started to teach the turtles the basics of her native tongue. It didn't take long for them to pick up how to say 'yes', 'no', 'bring', 'more', 'stop', 'food', 'drink', 'sleep', 'please', 'thank you' and 'hello'. Kaelani had been reluctant to teach them the last few words, assuring the turtles they wouldn't need to use them. But Leo had insisted on two of the phrases, and Mike on the final one.

She also taught them the meanings of certain gestures they might encounter, and explained there was going to be a feast that night in their honour.  
"That's all well an' good." grumbled Raph. "But I still don't get why we're here?"  
"Ayotl send you to help." said Kaelani simply.  
"Help with what, exactly?" asked Leo.  
"Most our men, and some our women; they are…gone. You bring them back." she explained.

The turtles all shared a glance.  
"Where have they gone?" pressed Leo.  
"I not know. Somewhere…dark, hard. Pale man knows. I take you to him soon. He working now."  
"What I'd like to know," piped up Don "…is how do we return to the Lair? It's my guess the necklace will be incapable of returning us; assuming the pearl fragment is integral to the process it used to teleport us here."  
"How do we get back to where we came from, once we return your people?" interpreted Leo for Kaelani.

"I not know. Ayotl send you to help." she said again calmly, as if that was all the explanation needed.  
"What! You mean you dragged us here without figuring some way ta send us back?" exclaimed Raph, shrugging off Leos' calming hand on his arm.  
"Ayotl send me dream; how to make necklace, what to do. I believe he send you to help. You _and_ us. Maybe, once you…find, learn something; he take you back then." she suggested.  
"Like what? Whatta we gotta 'learn'?" demanded Raph.  
"I not know; something…'important'?" offered Kaelani.  
"It had _better_ be…" Raphs' growl cut short as Leo turned to face him down.

Once Raph finally dropped his glare to the floor, Leo addressed all his brothers.  
"This isn't a great situation, but we have to make the best of it. We're here now and getting aggravated with our hosts or putting people off side with silly blunders will not help our cause any. I 'suggest' we wait until we've had a chance to speak to this 'pale man' and formulate a plan from there. We focus on getting these villagers back from, 'where ever', first; then we can concentrate on what we need to do to get home. Hopefully, by then, we'll have some idea what it will entail anyway. Ok?" he asked in such a way it made it obvious it wasn't up for debate.

"O-kaay." drawled Mike. "Can I ask a question now? What was that thing you kept callin' Tau?" he asked Kaelani.  
"Yeah!" added Raph. "And why can't she come in here with us? Where's she gonna sleep?"  
"Only chosen women, priests, allowed in these rooms. Men only come if they invited. The pale woman, she sleep in women's hut." the old woman explained, giving a nod of affirmation.  
"And that thing you call her?" prompted Mike.  
"Tlahtlacolli? That is…is our word for…'pale woman'." Kaelani nodded again, her gaze flickering to the floor momentarily.

None of the turtles believed Kaelani's interpretation was completely accurate, but they didn't get a chance to press for a more detailed meaning before another native girl came in to pass a message onto the wise-woman.  
"Come." she invited as she got to her feet. "The pale man ready to see you."

Quickly she led them back into the main hall.  
"Where is Tau?" asked Raph in slight concern, realising she wasn't anywhere to be seen.   
"Outside." replied Kaelani, heading through the exit to the village. The group paused for a moment, beyond the threshold, to allow their eyesight to adjust again to the bright afternoon sunlight. Looking about for their friend, the turtles started to get anxious as they saw no sign of her.

"There!" pointed Don, seeing Taus' black shirt draped on a bush off to the right. Raph raced over to snatch it up, hurriedly glancing about to find the girl. To his relief he finally spied her a short distance away, sat in the shadows with her back against the side wall of the ceremonial hut; her head down on her arms that were resting across her drawn up knees.

"TAU!" he yelled with a grin as he ran over to her, his brothers close behind him. He was taken aback as she suddenly scrambled to her feet with a scream, holding her hands out to ward him off.  
"ARGH! For fuck's sake Raph, I was asleep! Don't scare me like that!" she berated, pressing a shaky hand to her chest.  
"I… I didn't mean to! You don't…look too good. You ok?" he asked, worried at how pale and drawn her face seemed as she continued to glower angrily at him.

"'_Ok_'? Am I '_ok_'? Well, let's see now. We get zapped into deep water without any warning, where I nearly _drown_. And then we find ourselves in some damn village which is god knows where and where everyone looks at me like they'd be happy to cut my throat! And _then_ you leave me here _alone_ to go off…" she shook her head in frustration before fixing him with a sharp glare again.

"You've barely spoken to me for over a day; and _now_ you're asking if _I'm_ ok?" the glint in her eye became a little manic. "I sure as hell hope you've been having…'fun' in there…" she flung an accusatory finger towards the ceremonial hut "… 'cos I'd hate to think that _none_ of us were enjoying this little jaunt!" she finished on a note just short of hysterical.

"Oh." replied Raph, not sure what to say. "So…you're not happy then." he reiterated cautiously. One of Taus' eyebrows twitched erratically for a moment as nobody moved. Taking a deep breath first, she continued in a tone a little too calm to be reassuring,  
"No, Raph. I am not happy. I am tired, and fed up, and I wanna go home." She bit her lower lip to stop the pout and tears she was desperately trying to fight.

Raph fidgeted for a moment, trying to figure out how to make things right; though it was hard to think when she was looking so distraught and staring at him expectantly. Mike broke the impasse with a quiet suggestion in Japanese. Tau didn't get a chance to demand an explanation of what he'd just said as Raph pulled her head onto his shoulder, his other arm clutching her tight around her waist.

He tried to bury his face in her neck, suddenly feeling he needed this embrace with her too, as he crushed her to him. But she yanked backwards out of his arms with a sharp yelp, glaring at him again as she rubbed her newly bruised rib; at the same height as the handle of his sai tucked through his belt.  
"What?" he demanded in exasperation.  
"'What?'" she mimicked, the slightly mad glint back in her eye. "If you don't know 'what', then… Then I'm certainly not gonna _tell_ you!" she exclaimed, pushing past him and his brothers with a huff to stalk away down the slope.

"What?" snapped Raph after her; holding his hands out in useless supplication for a moment. Realising she wasn't going to so much as acknowledge his yell, he poked Mike hard on the plastron instead.  
"That's the last time I ever take advice from _you_!" he derided.  
"Yeah? Well, I didn't think I'd have to tell ya to hug 'er _gently_; doofus!" retorted Mike.

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A/N: I'm way too lazy to think up an original foreign language on my own, so for those that are curious; the language spoken in the village is Nahuatl. "What the heck is that?" I hear you ask. According to good ol' Wikipedia;  
_"__Nahuatl is (along with Mayan) one of the two most widely-spoken families of Native American languages in Mexico and in North America as a whole. As is the case with most other Mexican indigenous languages, many of the speakers of Nahuatl are bilingual, having working knowledge of the Spanish language. In the past, a significant number of the Nahuatl speakers outside the Valley of Mexico were bilingual in languages other than Spanish, speaking both Nahuatl and, as their mother tongue, some other indigenous language.'_  
Anywho, as per usual, I'll post links to this Wikipedia page, and a handy-dandy Nahuatl-English dictionary I managed to find on-line, over on my forum at SS shortly.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Thank you very much to The REAL Cheese Monkey and Shorty0908 for the reviews last Chapter. I always love getting' em!

Many thanks as well to artykidd for beta-reading. And I wanna wish CPQ all the best with her exams! Good luck with 'em chica.

There's a few terms in this chapter that relate to vessels and the like that some may not be familiar with. There's a fantastic web-site on all things pirate that I'll post the link to over at SS. But for those not interested in going a'digging, here's a few definitions (c/o Wikipedia) you might find handy;  
**Rapier** - generally refers to a relatively long-bladed sword characterized by a complex hilt which is constructed to provide protection for the hand wielding it. While the blade might be broad enough to cut to some degree, the strength of the rapier is its ability as a thrusting weapon. The blade might be sharpened along its entire length, sharpened only from the center to the tip or completely without a cutting edge. A typical example would have a relatively long and slender blade of 2.5 centimetres or less in width, 1 meter or more in length and ending in a sharply pointed tip.  
**Schooner** - is a type of sailing vessel characterized by the use of fore-and-aft sails on two or more masts. It has two or more masts with the forward mast being shorter or the same height as the rear masts. (The Halcon del Mare has only two masts.)  
**Mast** - a tall vertical pole which supports the sails. Larger ships have several masts, with the size and configuration depending on the style of ship.  
**Fore-and-aft sails** - a sailing rig consisting mainly of sails that are set along the line of the keel rather than perpendicular to it.  
**Keel** - a large beam which the hull of a ship is built around. The keel runs in the middle of the ship, from the bow (front) to the stern (rear), and serves as the spine of the structure, providing the major source of structural strength of the hull.  
**Hull** - the body of a ship.  
**Prow** - the fore part of a ship, the stem and its surrounding parts. It is often depicted in movies with a carved figurehead in the form of a mermaid or other similar figure.  
**Superstructure** – In engineering, superstructure refers to parts of a construction that project above a baseline: in building works, above the foundations, in shipbuilding, above the main deck.  
**Deck** - a permanent covering over a compartment or a hull of a ship. On a ship, the primary deck is the horizontal structure which forms the 'roof' for the hull, which both strengthens the hull and serves as the primary working surface. Vessels often have more than one level both within the hull and in the superstructure above the primary deck which are similar to the floors of a multi-story building, and which are also referred to as decks, as are specific compartments and decks built over specific areas of the superstructure.  
**Fore deck** – A small deck built within the superstructure, at the bow (front) of the vessel.

DISCLAIMER: I don't own the TMNT, or any related characters (much to their relief, I'm sure!) If there is anything else in this story you recognise from somewhere else, then I don't own that either.

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Despite her head start, the turtles quickly caught up with Tau as she walked, stiff backed, into the village. Her pace promptly slowed, partly because she realised she had no idea where she could go, but mainly due to the way the natives around her reacted. Almost all of them stopped what they were doing as she approached. Most moved away to give her a wide berth as they made a flicking motion with their hands, a gesture Kaelani had informed the turtles was a ward against bad luck or something unpleasant.

The few men stared at her with cold eyes, however some of the women were openly hostile; one even spitting in her path. The children seemed terrified, hiding behind anything they could if she happened to glance in their direction.

Apart from a fleeting smile from Mike, none of the turtles looked Taus' way as they surrounded her. That was fine by her, she wasn't done being aloof with all of them by a long shot. She was secretly grateful however, that they fell into step with her regardless. The curiosity and wonder the natives showed at seeing walking, talking turtles overcoming some of their apprehension of her.

Kaelani led them through the village and onto the clean, white sand beyond.  
"I suppose the hardest thing will be finding out exactly where we are." said Leo, having a muted discussion with his genius brother regarding how they might get home again.  
"I think the more relevant statement would be 'when we are'." replied Don.  
"What do you mean?" asked Leo.  
"I mean, we have shifted in time; at least marginally. When we left the Lair, it was approximately eight in the evening. We arrived here in the mid-afternoon; my guess would be around two pm. And I would say the shift is much greater than a few hours. More in the magnitude of…centuries... Uh, approximately four centuries…actually." Don explained, petering out as they walked past the tree-line onto the beach-proper.

"What makes you think four?" asked Leo, still intent on the conversation.  
"The commission date carved into the prow of that reads 1604." Don explained, pointing at something over his brothers' shoulder. Leo turned to see the large vessel resting on the sand to quickly gawk in awe with the rest of his kin.  
"I would say that's a…merchant schooner." continued Don. "By my guess, the foredeck has been removed at some point. Probably to reduce the vessels' overall weight; making her more manoeuvrable in the water and easier to traverse during battle."  
"So, you're saying it's…?" Mike prompted.  
"A vessel that's been adapted for piracy." confirmed Don.  
"Cooooool!" enthused Mike.  
"Awesome!" drawled Raph.  
"Should we be worried?" asked Leo, in an aside to his brainy sibling.

"No. No worry." assured Kaelani. "This pale-man; you help him, help us…, help you." she nodded with an encouraging grin; sure they would finally understand her explanation.  
"Uh-huh." Leo smiled in reply, masking his uncertainty, before he looked back to the ship for answers. Much of the hull and superstructure had recently been patched and repaired with the same pale wood as the village buildings, showing in stark contrast to the darker timbers the vessel had originally been constructed from.

Stood on the sand close to the schooner was a dark haired Hispanic youth of a similar age to the turtles, and an African boy. Both stopped their task of packing away tools to gape slack-jawed at the new arrivals. An old, skinny black woman in a thread-bare dress and head-scarf walked around the prow of the ship. She halted mid-step in shock at the sight of their visitors herself. Her jaw worked for a moment before she glanced at the boy, frantically waving him over as she hissed;  
"Kirabo! Come here, _now_!" in a tone he was wise not to disobey as he ran to her to be grasped in a defensive hug. The teen started backing slowly towards the woman as well.

A trio of Hispanic men suddenly emerged on the deck that was sloping towards the turtles. The first appeared to be in his mid thirties; tall, with his ragged shirt doing little to hide the bulk of muscle in his broad chest and arms. His jaw was square-cut, accentuated by his short-cropped hair starting to grey at his temples. His leather belt had a long, ornate dagger dangling from one side, and a pistol shoved though on the other.

The second was only a few inches shorter than the first, with a build that was a little more lithe than his companions'. His shirt and breaches were in a bit better condition, and he had a rapier hung on his broad belt at his left hip. The slender weapon suited him well, matched by his thin moustache, little plaited goatee, and his long queue of straight, jet black hair secured with a simple band of silver at his nape.

The last man to set foot on the deck was quite old, his back a little crooked and his eyes milky. His lank, grey hair hung down around his gaunt face, framing his eyes as they widened in shock as he caught sight of the turtles and swiftly crossed himself. The other two men shared a glance before vaulting over the railing to the sand below and approaching Kaelani and the turtles.

Not quite ready yet for any more possibly unpleasant surprises, Tau shuffled backwards a few steps to put all the turtles and a little distance between herself and the men. Not that she moved too far, she was still well aware of the stares from the villagers behind her.

"Well, well now Kaelani. When you told us you'd get us some reinforcements, I was expecting some extra men from a neighbouring island or the like. Not…ah…?" queried the shorter of the two men, gesturing at the turtles with a wave of his hand.  
"Are no extra men. Ayotl send." beamed the wise-woman proudly, tipping her head deferentially towards Leo stood beside her. The fellow gave the turtles a sceptical appraisal before turning to his comrade.  
"At least they seem to be armed." he smiled beguilingly. The stoic look on his friends' face didn't shift at all.

"My name is Leonardo." began the Leader, as the men looked back to them. "These are my brothers Raphael, Donatello and Michelangelo. And this is Tausha. I believe we're…" he faltered as the man with the rapier gave a deep, elaborate bow.  
"And _I_ am Captain Iago Vincente Ximen Reyes. This…" he straightened to introduce his companion "…is Nataniel, my First Mate. And we are _very_ pleased to make your acquaintance." he grinned; stepping past Leo as if he wasn't there to grasp Tau by the hand and draw her to the front of the group, though she followed his lead a little hesitantly.

"Am I safe in assuming you haven't been welcomed here as graciously as a Lady might expect?" he asked Tau, smiling warmly.  
"Um, well I… I guess not…"  
"Tch!" the Captain shook his head slowly. "Please, allow me to rectify such a transgression." Not waiting for an answer, he bowed over her hand he still held to kiss it lightly. Taken by surprise and uncertain what to say, Tau gave a nervous chuckle before she thanked him.

"Rest assured, dear Lady, that you have the word of this Gentleman that you will come to no harm under my protection." he offered magnanimously, keeping a strong grip on her fingers.  
"Oh! Um, thank you again! But, I'm not a 'Lady', and I don't really understand why I should need any 'protection'." flustered Tau.  
"Nonsense!" the Captain smiled; all charm. "You may not be dressed in the finest of clothes, but it is clear to see you have the poise of a woman of great standing. And, if I may be so bold, of all the women I have ever seen; your beauty is second only to that of Her Majesty the Queen of Spain." Stunned and lost for words, Tau could only blush deeply in reply.

"As for why you need my protection." the Spaniard continued. "That is linked to the reason we find ourselves here on this island…"  
"Good." interjected Leo flatly. "If you could shed some light on…" He was cut off by a dismissive wave from the Captain.  
"_If_ you do not mind, the Lady and I were discussing matters." he admonished derisively, finishing his gesture by hooking his arm under Taushas' and patting her hand, now resting on his forearm. "Come, my dear, there is something you should see in order to understand the extent of your peril. And I shall explain our conundrum as we walk." he assured as he started out down the beach, away from his ship. Not wanting to be rude and forcibly tug her arm free of his firm grip, Tau had little choice but to fall into step beside him.

Leo and Don followed close behind, in order to hear what the Captain had to say, though Leo struggled to keep the scowl off his face. Nataniel fell in behind them, his dead-pan expression still unchanging. The old sailor, who had remained on the deck, crossed himself again and started muttering under his breath as he watched his comrades walk away in the company of the turtles. He then turned his scowl to the heathen wise-woman making her way back to the village before ducking below deck once more.

Mike laid a tentative hand on Raphs' shoulder as his brother stared after the small group walking down the beach.  
"You okay bro?" he asked, after getting no response to his touch.  
"She _giggled_!" snarled Raph, under his breath. "She _never_ giggles like that at anything I say."  
"Well, maybe you're not saying the right things to make her giggle." offered Mike. "Just saying is all!" he quickly added, throwing his hands up in his defence as his brother glared at him. "And really, you can't say I didn't warn you…" Mike decided to leave it as that as Raphs' eyes narrowed even further. Mike took a few long steps backwards before he felt safe enough to turn around, jogging to catch-up with the others.

Raph couldn't believe what he was seeing. How could Tau be hanging off that…morons' arm? Didn't she realise how ridiculous she looked? The top of her head didn't even reach past the guys' shoulder, for fucks' sake. She had to tip her head right back to _smile_ up at him as they talked. Well, it would just serve her right if she got a crick in her neck. And if that loser wanted such a high-strung, stubborn, pain-in-the-ass girl like her, he was welcome to her! Raph folded his arms in an obstinate grump.

The curve of the beach started to lead the small group past the tree-line. A sudden, irrational fear of losing sight of the pair gripped Raph like a vice. Not wanting to make a fool of himself by running after them, he settled for walking instead; at a very brisk pace.

Meanwhile, as the Captain led the party down the beach he began his explanation, pointedly addressing only Tausha.  
"It actually all comes down to a matter of honour, in essence. The Commisionaire that is currently in control of this portion of the Spanish Main, Gutierrez, has broken his loyalty to the Crown. I know it. The King knows it. All we are lacking is the proof. There is currently a Kings' Man visiting with Commisionaire Gutierrez. If we can get the proof of the bastards' (please excuse my foul language, my Lady) mis-deeds to the Kings' representative before he leaves; I have been given assurances that Gutierrez will be disposed, and a much better man given his station."

"Where do the villagers come into all this?" interceded Leo. The Captain treated him to a dark look before addressing Tau again.  
"Are your servants always so…bold?" he asked.  
"Oh, they're not my servants. They're my…friends." she corrected with a smile. "And you probably are better off talking to them about all this, Captain Reyes. They have much more experience with this kind of thing, I'm sure!"  
"Please, my Lady! No need to be so formal, 'Iago' will suffice." he assured warmly.  
"Hmm!" grinned Tau uncertainly. "Alright, but only if you stop calling me 'Lady'; 'Tausha' is just fine."

"Ahem!" interrupted Leo, before Iago could say another word. "You were about to tell us why the villagers have been effected by this Gutierrez fellow." he reminded, in a no-nonsense tone.  
"Please, Iago, we do need to know." implored Tau, as the Captain scowled lightly at the blue-cad turtle.  
"Very well." he conceded, again pointedly talking to the girl on his arm, though he spoke a little louder than before for the benefit of the others listening in. "The Spanish Main, and all of its bounty, is the rightful property of His Majesty, the King of Spain. His Commisionaires are allowed a generous portion of any revenue generated from their holdings, but Gutierrez has gotten greedy. He has discovered a seam of gold that he has not declared to the Crown. And he is using the local villagers as slave labour to mine it."

"Why haven't the local tribes revolted against him?" put in Don.  
"The villagers don't know where the mine is, and may not even know if that's the fate that has been met by their missing people." explained Iago. "To avoid drawing undue attention, Gutierrez has only been abducting villagers as they visit the townships within his holding. At first the local tribes did not even realise what was occurring. As the men that visited the townships failed to return, they sent more to investigate, who in turn disappeared. Other warriors then followed; intent on revenge or the like, and they too were never seen again by their tribes."

"Why didn't the women who returned from visiting the towns shed any light on what was happening?" asked Leo, out of curiosity.  
"Because the tribal women do not visit the townships; they did once, until Gutierrez decreed that anyone showing an indecent amount of flesh on a civilized street would be arrested. The women can visit, if they chose to wear decent clothing. Unfortunately the tribes took the decree as an affront, and most of the women now refuse to visit unless they can do so in their native garb. Besides, the few women that have gone after their men have simply disappeared as well."

"What did I miss?" exclaimed Mike with a grin, as he caught up with the group.  
"I'll fill you in later." answered Leo quickly, his tone not one to be argued with. "I can understand the natives being upset that they can't wear what they want to. But I get the impression there's something more to this conflict than that." he prompted Iago.

"Yes, there is." confirmed the Spaniard. "Gutierrez is a spineless worm; his wife is the one that holds the real power over his holding, and she is a staunch woman of God. She put the natives off-side at first by banning any references or icons to their own deities within the townships Gutierrez controls. It was ruled illegal to even mention them. And she made matters worse by claiming the womens' traditional garb was sinful. The local tribes were open to God's Word at first, incorporating the teachings of the Bible into their own beliefs. Some of the Missionaries encouraged that blending, thinking a gradual transition would be better than none at all. Most didn't. The tribes have since grown distrustful of Men of the Cloth."

"Is that the reason they hate me, because of one woman?" asked Tau, a little incredulous.  
"I'm afraid not. The last Missionary to visit this island was one of the moderates. He did not agree with the tribes' beliefs, of course. But he was intelligent enough not to speak out against their practices. Unfortunately, his wife was not." stated Iago emphatically.  
"So, like, what happened to her?" queried Mike, after a moments' quiet.

Iago pointed towards a jagged, flat area of rock where the beach was intersected by the other side of the volcanic rim that sheltered the bay. On it were caught some pale shreds of fabric, fluttering in the sea breeze. As the group got closer, they could make out a few scattered bones, remnants of rope bindings, and a skull lying to one side; a few long strands of pale blonde hair still clinging to it.

"They killed her?" breathed Tau, not really asking the question.  
"She was bound here to starve, or drown; and to feed the scavengers." confirmed Iago.  
"Eeew!" whispered Mike. "What happened to her husband then? He didn't just leave her here, did he?" he asked a little louder, jumping slightly as he felt something come up fast behind him and breathing a sigh of relief as he realised it was only Raph.  
"No, the villagers killed him too." sighed Iago. "You must understand, the tribes are not civilized, they do not think the way we do. They have to make the most of their limited resources. And they did respect the Missionary…"

"They're cannibals?" surmised Don.  
"Yes. They only consume flesh as part of their funeral rights, as a mark of respect to the deceased. That is how they see the practice anyway." Iago explained. Even Mike was quiet for the next few moments, his hand firmly over his mouth in an effort to contain the contents of his stomach.

"I am sorry to have to show you this Tausha." began Iago, patting her hand again as he felt her starting to pull on her captured arm. "However, I wanted you to realise the importance of not crossing the tribe. Unfortunately, the Comissionaires' wife is also fair of hair and skin, so any woman with similar traits is no longer welcome here." he smiled warmly, reaching to brush her hair. Tau jerked her head back to evade his touch, looking distraught as she brought her free hand to bear on his arm, yanking her other free.  
"My Lady?" queried Iago, his voice laced with concern at her actions.

Tau shook her head in response, taking a few jerky steps away from him. She stopped short as she saw Raph was stood at the back of the group, a dark scowl on his face. He crossed his arms again as she approached, thinking 'not _this_ again…' as he realised her eyes shone with unshed tears once more.  
"What?" he demanded bluntly as she stopped in front of him. Tau dropped her gaze for a moment then looked back up at him as the first droplet tracked down her cheek.  
"Don't. Please?" she begged softly. Unsure what she was asking for, and feeling the sharp edge of his anger start to dull despite himself, Raph hesitantly unfolded his arms. As soon as they were clear of his front, Tau quickly moved in to bury her face on his shoulder, sobbing quietly. She didn't hug him, keeping her hands clasped in front of her chest. She didn't resist either, as he recovered from his surprise to wrap her in a gentle embrace, heeding Mikes' earlier advice.

Looking over Taus' shoulder, Raph snarled silently in response to the look of utter disdain Iago was treating him to; his hands itching to rearrange the arrogant snots' fine-lookin' features. The Spaniard cocked a haughty eyebrow in retort. Tau interrupted the mute battle, lifting her head to inadvertently block their view of each other as she roughly knuckled her eyes and composed herself.  
"You ok?" Raph asked, his tone a little short. Tau nodded, giving him a shaky smile.  
"It's just been a long day." she breathed, between sniffles.

"I dare say it has been." consoled Iago, a warm smile back on his face as Tau looked to him.  
"Sorry." she offered sheepishly. "I just…don't know you that well." Iago waved her apology away.  
"I understand." he assured. "However, we should head back to the village. You, er, boys? Wouldn't want to miss any of the celebration being held in your honour."  
"True." Leo agreed flatly. "And on the way you can tell us what our role is, in all of this." he said pointedly, already leading the way back down the beach.

"It's very simple actually." explained Iago. "I know the location of the mine. Unfortunately it is well guarded, and when we tried to get to it, in order to find some solid evidence it exists, we took heavy losses. You have seen for yourself how many are left of my crew and the scars the Halcon del Mar now bears…"  
"The wha…?" interrupted Mike.  
"My ship." dead-panned the Captain in reply, before continuing, "There are enough of us left to man the sails, however…"  
"You need more fighters." nodded Leo in understanding.

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The hall of the ceremonial hut was lit only by the three strips of burning coals running down its centre, the ceiling lost in wood smoke; the close heat a shock after the chill breeze of the early evening outside. Tau stuck by Iagos' side as she and his crew were finally allowed to enter, after the rest of the village, and were invited to sit on the hard earth floor beside the main doorway.

At the far end of the hall, Kaelani sat in one of the antique chairs, Leo in the other. The turtles had been ushered into the room before almost anyone else, and the other three were now seated upon a large log next to their brother. All four seemed intrigued by the native girls dancing before them and serving them food, Mike definitely over his earlier bout of queasiness.

Tau had actually quite enjoyed their earlier walk back along the beach. She'd felt much more relaxed after her little cry, and for having Raph walking close beside her again. She had been a little disappointed when he had quickly released her from his embrace, crossing his arms again as Iago had offered his words of support. But she'd been consoled by the serene beauty of the sunset over the ocean and the way their shoulders brushed as they'd walked together in silence, listening to Leo and Iago continue to talk.

She'd soon realised she couldn't really blame Raph for being a bit reticent; it wasn't like it was his fault they had wound up here. And she'd figured she had over-reacted a little when she'd stormed away from him before. Tau had resolved to apologise to him as they made their way through the village, but was shy of doing so with everyone else within earshot.

When they'd reached the front of the large ceremonial hut, she'd almost gotten a chance to speak with him in relative privacy. Leading him a short distance along the top of the slope as Iago was distracted by the arrival of his crew. Kaelani had asked the turtles to wait as the hut was emptied of the villagers that were helping with preparations, so that they could be among the first to enter for the celebration proper.

"What is it?" Raph had demanded under his breath, a little impatiently, as they'd stepped away from his brothers.  
"I just wanted to talk to you about this afternoon." Tau had started in a whisper, clenching her jaw in an effort to quell her annoyance as he'd rolled his eyes, and given a disparaging little grunt. "I… I just wanted to say…"  
"Thank you."  
"Argh!" Tau had gasped at the unexpected sound of Leos' voice right behind her.

"Sorry." the Leader had apologised, with a contrite grin for the look of shock she'd turned to face him with. "I did appreciate your efforts to get Captain Reyes to speak with us as equals. And I want you to know that, if we had thought you were in any danger when Kaelani took us aside, we wouldn't have left you alone. As it is, I don't think you will be able to stay with us tonight. Kaelani mentioned earlier you would be offered a place to sleep in the womans' hut. Would you rather we negotiate for you to stay with the crew instead?"

Tau had chewed her lip as she'd considered her options.  
"There's no way I could stay with you guys? I wouldn't be a bother…"  
"I'm sorry Tau." Leo had denied with a shake of his head. "Believe me; if I thought the tribe would allow it, I'd rather you stay with us." He'd shot Raph a dark look as his brother had scoffed. "I know full-well there'd be nothing happening I'd need to worry about if you did." he'd assured sternly, addressing them both with a lecturing finger.  
"You gotta sleep sometime, bro." Raph had taunted under his breath, unable to let the opportunity to rile his sibling pass.

"You're right Leo." Tau had interceded, in a firm tone despite the slight colour that had infused her cheeks. "But if I have to choose, then I think I would prefer the crew. At least they don't want to kill me!"  
"Alright." Leo had nodded. "I'll talk to Kaelani. Just…" he'd faltered, searching for the right words to say, "…be careful. I don't necessarily trust any of them. However the Captain needs us, just as much as we need him, so I don't think you'll be in any real danger. If you do find yourself in any trouble though, don't hesitate…"

Kaelani had disrupted their conversation at that point to lead the turtles inside the hut. Now, Tau found herself sitting amongst the rag-tag crew; Iago to her right and the youngest Spaniard, Alejandro, to her left. They were the last to be served by the young native girls carrying simple wooden platters of food around the hall, and Iago made a point of taking an extra portion for Tau as the girls shied away from her.

Even though they essentially got the left-overs, Tau soon had a small collection of thin, wooden skewers in her hands that had held the roasted fruit, vegetables and fish of her meal. The serving girls were taking a break as another group of dancers started to move to the frenetic drum beat resounding in the hall. It was a fairly interesting sight, she had to admit; the way the fire-light played on their dark skin and grass skirts. Though Raph didn't have to watch them quite _that_ avidly… His attention was only drawn away when one of the serving girls leaned over his shoulder to speak to him. Despite the smoke haze and distance, Tau was sure he wasn't just looking at her face. If that damn girl leaned any closer…

"Ahem. It's considered bad luck to break those, the natives re-use them you see." Iago pointed out, making Tau realise she was bending the sticks in her hands to the point they were starting to splinter. With a nervous chuckle, she quickly dropped them safely in her lap.

"May I ask; what is your relationship with them, if they are not your servants?" he queried conversationally, tipping his crude wooden cup towards the turtles.  
"Like I said, they're friends. I sort of needed to make a fresh start with my life, and they're helping me with that. I owe them a lot really…" she looked back to her lap, starting to toy with the skewers again.  
"Ah, so you are…bound to them?" probed Iago cautiously.  
"No! No, it's not like that… Actually, once I find my feet, I'll be leaving them. Well, if we ever get home again from here!" she added with weak laugh.

A small commotion at the far end of the hall caught their attention as the drums suddenly stopped. All eyes turned to the doorway leading to the clearing as an older woman entered holding a small, ornately carved platter piled with slivers of a pale meat. Tau guessed she was a high ranking priestess on the island, from her elaborate head-dress and the way all the villagers watched her intently as she made a slow circuit of the room so that everyone could see clearly what she was carrying.

"This should prove interesting." Iago leaned over to whisper conspiratorially in Taushas' ear. "From your friends' reactions this afternoon, I doubt they'll appreciate being served this."  
"It's not...'human', is it?" she asked in a murmur, trying to keep the disgust at the thought from showing on her face.  
"No." replied Iago. Tau furrowed her brow in confusion for a moment, until a thought struck…

"Is this like, the greatest night of our lives or what dudes?" Mike attempted to whisper, too excited to keep quiet despite the hush in the hall. He was answered with a gentle nudge in the ribs from Dons' elbow as they watched the priestess approach.  
"What the hell is Tau doin' now?" grumbled Raph under his breath; it was enough to get his other brothers to glance the girls' way. She seemed to be almost bouncing on the spot, and making all sorts of gestures that were an odd blend of frantic and furtive.  
"I think she's trying to tell us something." murmured Don, unsure as the priestess blocked his view for a moment.

"Huh? She's tryin' to use our covert hand signals!" Raph exclaimed quietly. "Gees, she needs more practice… I think that was 'u', 'n', 'o'…"  
"No, that was an 'a', I think." put in Leo.  
"Get bent, it was 'o'!" argued Raph. "Then 'e'. _That_ was an 'a', 't', 'u' again, 'n', 'o', 'e'… What the…? She's just repeating it, what the hell does that mean?"  
"Nyeh." shrugged Mike. "Maybe she's just ticked she can't sit up here with us an' get the 'royal' treatment!" he beamed as the priestess knelt before them, happily reaching to take a piece of the meat she offered up.

Mikes' fingers only grazed a slice as Don grabbed his wrist, yanking it back. "Hey! What gives?" protested Mike.  
"Just _think_, Mikey! What did Iago tell us about how this tribe shows their respect? And which animal do they seem to respect more than any other?" urged Don, Mike taken aback by the wide-eyed trepidation showing on the face of his normally cool, calm and collected brother.  
"Uh, I dunno… Turtles, I guess…" ventured Mike uncertainly, his jaw dropping as the pieces clicked together in his brain.

"Do. Not. Freak. Out." commanded Leo of all his kin, his sudden strong grip on Mikes' shoulder doing just as much as his voice to stop his brothers' panic.  
"There is problem?" enquired Kaelani.  
"No. No problem." assured Leo levelly, though he kept his grip on his brother, feeling Mike starting to tremble.  
"You eat?" she offered, indicating the platter. "Very good." she encouraged.  
"Ah, yes. I'm sure it is." Leo frantically tried to think of a way out of tasting the dish that wouldn't insult the tribe and result in them wanting to serve him and his brothers the same way. "But it is not for us."

Kaelani frowned in concern.  
"Yes, for you. Great honour to you; you eat." she urged.  
"I know it is a great tribute you give us, but, um, Ayotl would prefer that this, uh, 'food' go to his people. It will do him, and us, a greater honour if more of his people can, uh, par-take…" he petered out, having to swallow to keep down what he had already eaten. Kaelani considered his words for a moment before she slowly started to nod in comprehension.  
"You eat; is not as good honour as when we eat?" she queried.  
"Yes, in a way. Ayotl wants his people to benefit, more than us." explained Leo. "Uh, we need to, um... Can we be excused for a moment?" he asked, pointing towards the door behind them. Kaelani had barely finished giving another hesitant nod before all the turtles vanished through the doorway.

"Ah, ah, ARGH! _Yuuuuuck_!" cried Mike, leaping about to wipe his fingertips on the wooden palisade, the damp grass, anything else he could find. Suddenly, he stopped and gripped his stomach. "Oh man, I think I'm gonna hurl!" he warned, Don getting to him just in time to hold his bandanna tails out of harms way as he doubled over to retch in the corner of the clearing. From Dons' expression it was pretty clear he wasn't far off from doing the same.

Leo and Raph shared a significant glance regarding their brothers' dilemma, before they both closed their eyes and concentrated on the sweet, chill night air searing its way into their lungs in order to calm themselves and their own stomachs. Leo eventually broke the quiet,  
"The next time you wanna give that girl a hug Raph, I won't complain!"

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A/N: Loved it, hate it? There's this neat little button below, where you can let me know.


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: For reviewing the last chapter, my heartfelt thanks to Shorty0908, The REAL Cheese Monkey and especially speechie42. (I appreciated the review for C&R too!) Glad to hear you're enjoying this series, there is most definitely more to come. I currently aim to upload a new chapter every second Wednesday.

Many thanks as well to artykidd for doing a great job with the beta-reading for this. Here's hoping CPQ will be back on-board as well next chapter, missing ya chica!

DISCLAIMER: I don't own the TMNT, or any related characters (much to their relief, I'm sure!) If there is anything else in this story you recognise from somewhere else, then I don't own that either.

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At dawn the next morning the turtles left the ceremonial hut to go in search of Tau, Captain Reyes and his crew. Tendrils of mist still swirled over the ground and gathered under the dense jungle trees as the brothers approached the small, crude circular buildings at the far end of the village. They found the crew at the end of the row of huts, gathered around an open cooking fire. The gaunt African woman was serving out a thin stew and un-leavened bread for breakfast.

Raph was buoyed by the broad smile Tau flashed their way as she caught sight of them, quickly standing to come greet them. He wasn't thrilled about her having to stay with the crew. But he was hoping to put yesterday behind them, and was eager to see how far he could push the little declaration Leo had made last night. Unfortunately she had her hands full as they met; carrying her hot stew. Not that a little thing like that deterred his brother.

"Tau! Thank you so much for warning us last night babe!" exclaimed Mike, grabbing her in a strong glomp.  
"Ah, Mike! Get off! You're making me spill my breakfast!" she admonished, a little breathlessly for the pressure he was exerting on her rib-cage.  
"Heh heh, sorry babe!" Mike grinned contritely as he released her, getting a reproachful glance from Leo.  
"We're all very grateful for that Tau." declared the Leader sincerely. "Did you have a good night?" he asked, eyeing the Captain warily as he joined them, walking up behind the girl.

"Um, yeah, it was okay…"  
"I can assure you, she passed a very comfortable night in my bed." smiled Iago warmly, casually resting a hand on her shoulder. The colour fled Taus' face as all the turtles looked to her in shock. There was a glimmer of hurt in Raphs' eyes, before he hid it behind an angry veneer, twisting a shard of ice in her gut.  
"NO! It's not like that! He only.., I mean, I only slept in his bed. Not with him! He stayed with Nathaniel! I wouldn't… You believe me? Don't you?" she implored.  
"Of course we do, Tau." replied Leo, leveling a cool look at the Spaniard.  
"Yeah, sure thing, babe!" Mike smiled crookedly.  
"Indubitably." nodded Don. Raph only grunted his affirmation; his conviction to make amends with her today in tatters.

Iago wiped the little smug grin off his face before he addressed the turtles again,  
"It is a good thing you're here nice and early, my friends. We have a busy day ahead of us. Come, break bread with us first." he invited with a sweep of his hand.  
"Were heading out for the mine today?" enquired Leo, an edge of eagerness to his tone.  
"We're planning to leave with the evening tide, but we have to float the Halcon del Mar and re-stock her supplies before that." warned the Captain. "Unfortunately her keel has settled into the sand as we've made our repairs. I hope you turtles know how to dig!"  
"I'm pretty handy with shovel!" grinned Tau with enthusiasm, hoping to atone somewhat for the earlier misunderstanding; Raph still looked very sullen.  
"Oh no, I couldn't allow a Lady to engage in such harsh labour. Besides, it would be far safer for you to stay here, in my hut, well out of harms way." smiled Iago condescendingly.

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Tau was bored. Every time she'd tried to step outside the tiny hut one of the village women had insistently ushered her back inside; murmuring the same phrase, "Tlahtlacolli", over and over. The only company she'd had since breakfast was a brief visit from Iago as he'd brought her some lunch.  
"What does it mean?" she'd asked as they sat together on the edge of the bed to eat.  
"Bad luck." was his explanation of the villagers' saying.  
"Oh, shoulda figured as much." she'd grumbled. Iago had chuckled for a moment, patting her thigh.  
"Well, it is best you respect the tribes' superstitions."  
"Uh, yeah." she'd tried to smile, whilst attempting to shift her leg from under his hand that had come to rest on it. Not to be dissuaded, he gave her a firm squeeze before standing to take his leave.

She'd resisted the urge to pry all morning, distracting herself with kata she quickly grew frustrated with as the hut was too small to allow her to perform much more than stationary routines. As the afternoon wore on however, she succumbed; desperate to find anything to alleviate the tedium.

There wasn't much other than an old battered dresser to investigate, and Tau soon found a small, plain-bound book in a drawer. She put it to one side, guessing it was Iagos' diary, or the like. The only other thing she found of note was a deck of cards. Sitting on the dirt floor she tried to engross herself in a game of Solitaire, but quickly found her efforts thwarted as the deck held rather more aces, and less lower numbered cards than a normal deck should.

With a sigh Tau dumped the deck back on top of the dresser, eyeing the book that she'd left there previously. Relenting with a shrug, she decided to have a look inside. To her surprise it wasn't a diary, or even notes. Instead it contained drawings of various women in rather conservative attire, at least partly. The majority of the girls depicted wore pantaloons that ended below the knee, or made use of a parasol to hide most of their torso. After a quick flick through the pages Tau rolled her eyes.  
"Gees, even his _porn_ is lame!" she muttered to herself, tucking the book back into its' hiding place.

With nothing else to do she grabbed the deck again and returned to the floor to build a house of cards. After quite a few tries she managed to get a second tier started when a gust of wind found its way through a crack in the mud wall, scattering the cards all about the hut. Tau sat in the midst of the destruction for a moment in contemplation before slamming a fist on the ground, with a loud curse for her frustration. After nursing her sore hand briefly she continued to mutter evilly as she crawled about the floor, gathering the deck back together.

Reaching under the bed in her quest for the last of the cards, Tau noticed a small section of wall that was different. Curiosity getting the better of her she delved further to discover it was a flap made from grasses plaited together. Pushing it open she saw the base of the thicket of trees that grew close to the rear of the hut.

The opening covered by the flap was as tall as the underside of the bed it was under, and wide enough for her to easily wriggle through. Once outside she paused briefly, wondering if she were making a serious mistake. Should she go back for her boots at least? But the fresh air and welcome sounds of the surf coming from the far side of the coppice she had stumbled into were too much of a draw for her to turn back now.

Coming out of the jungle, Tau found herself on an empty beach. The ancient volcanic rim that protected the village bay cut through the sand on her right. To her left the open ocean was sending rollers onto the pristine sand that stretched out of sight in a long curve under the late afternoon sun.

Taking a deep breath to enjoy the scent of hot sand and sea Tau made her way to the waters' edge; the cool, wet sand a pleasure to her bare feet. Her head shot up as the faint sounds of men yelling reached her, noticing the tops of the masts upon the Halcon del Mar bobbing gently on the far side of the ridge of black rock.

"Huh. They must've got it launched already." she murmured to herself, wondering briefly what the turtles were doing at that moment. In an effort to ignore her resentment at being left out, and to put a bit more distance between those that may spot or come looking for her, she meandered away down the beach.

At first she thought it was deserted, but she started to notice the occasional depression in the wet sand that looked like they may have been foot prints the ocean hadn't quite wiped away yet. Not wanting to be caught out, Tau headed back up to the tree line for cover as she continued with her stroll.

A loud splash was her first indication she'd guessed correctly regarding the footprints. Slinking further under the trees she crept on, her interest piqued. Rounding the beach-head she smiled as she caught sight of the two in the sea. One was climbing out onto the edge of a curving rock ledge just under the waters' surface to dive-bomb into the deeper section of the lagoon again. The other was swimming slowly, face-down along the edge of the submerged rock wall.

The other two were side-by-side on the sand. One was stretched out on his back with his hands tucked beneath his head; dozing, or so it seemed. The other rested with his chin upon his arms that were crossed over his drawn up knees. The majority of their gear rested on a large banana leaf close at hand, except for the two sai shoved point down in the sand between the pair on the beach.

Tau watched in fascination; realising she'd rarely seen any of them without their masks before, and never all together in such a state, she tried to pick which one was which. Settling on her guess, and given none of them had shown the slightest indication they knew she was there, she tried to sneak up behind the ones on the beach with an evil grin.

She'd gotten pretty close before she started, the one lying on his back giving her a lazy wave.  
"Howdy Tau." Leo drawled, tucking his hand back under his head. Neither he, nor his brother, bothered to interrupt their watch of the ocean. She cursed silently to herself. Taking the consolation that she'd at least guessed correctly she smiled again, taking a seat in the sand next to Raph with a light "Hey." in greeting. For a moment she thought he was going to ignore her completely, continuing to stare over his arms to the horizon, but he finally muttered a "Hey." in reply.

After waiting in vain for a few minutes, perplexed why the other two hadn't started a conversation, Leo rolled onto his side and broke the silence.  
"How was your day Tau?" he asked casually. She gave a massive sigh, leaning back on her arms to answer him past Raphs' carapace.  
"Boring!" she exclaimed. "Apparently 'Ladies' do nothing but sit on their arse all day. It's not like I'm even a friggin' '_Lady_' to start off with!"

Raph gave a sardonic little laugh and Leo frowned at his brothers' insolence. His reprimand died on his lips as Tau grinned at the hot-head, almost taunting as she demanded,  
"What?"  
"I'da thought you'd like the perks, getting to share a cosy little hut with the Cap'n an' all." Raph sneered. Tau did frown at that.  
"You reckon staying in a teensy mud hut beats a 'temple'? And I'm not '_sharing it'_ with anyone! What do you think I am; some kinda floozy?"  
"Yeah," muttered Raph sarcastically, "…I wish!"

Seeing Tau turn her head away from his brother, Leo scowled.  
"I don't care how gooda friends you two are, or what you're fighting about; you don't have the right to insult her Raph. Apologise, now." he ordered. He had to jerk his head backwards to avoid the sand Raph flicked at him as he rose, pulled his sai free and stalked off toward the trees.

Leos' intentions of tackling his brother were thwarted, Tau grabbing his arm before he leapt up.  
"Don't. Just leave it, please?" she begged.  
"But I can't let him get away with…"  
"Leo, please. I'm not 'insulted' or anything. Just let him go." After a dark glance at the point where Raph had vanished into the shadows under the trees, Leo relaxed back on his elbows in the sand. Tau released his arm to sit as Raph had been previously.

Absently watching his other two brothers huddling together to peer at something under the water, Leo tried to get his head around what was going on between Raph and Tau. To an outsider it would surely seem like the two hated each other at times; the way they behaved towards each other. Turning to the girl he hesitated in asking her about it. She seemed lost in her own thoughts as she doodled meaningless patterns in the sand before her feet.

"Tau! Hey, Tau! C'mere an' check this out!" Mike called excitedly; Don waving her over as well as she looked up. With a smile, that seemed almost relieved to Leo, she wasted no time standing to strip off her shirt and jeans, dumping them untidily in the sand to jog into the waist-high water wearing her singlet and briefs. The trio spent the next couple of minutes in avid discussion over something under the water, before Mike took advantage of Tau bending close to the surface to drench her completely with a splash of his arm.

Leo smiled resignedly as he watched a no-holds-barred water-war break out, Tau temporarily gaining the upper-hand as she directed an accurate squirt of water right into Mikes' eyes. A cease-fire was called until she'd explained how she'd done it, only to be subjected to the same attack from both her opponents to commence the hostilities again.

Don was the first to fold. He left the other two to their noisy battle as he trotted up the beach to flop down on the sand next to Leo. Absently he started to rub his shoulder to ease the stiffness starting to set in after their exertions shovelling wet sand for a large portion of the day.

The two brothers watched the antics in the water with nothing but a few chuckles for a while.  
"Nuts." Don eventually surmised, shaking his head.  
"Which one?"  
"Both."  
"Yep." Leo grinned with a slow nod. Don glanced over his shoulder at the tree-line.  
"What happened with Raph?" he asked quietly.  
"Honestly? I don't know. I can't figure those two out sometimes." admitted Leo.

Don cocked his head in contemplation for a moment,  
"I've been observing them both fairly closely over the past couple of months and I think Mikey's right. It's pretty obvious she does like him an awful lot too. I don't think it's a bad thing Leo."  
"Why not?" Leo kept his voice neutral.  
"Tau's good for him; at least she doesn't let him get away with too much nonsense…"  
"Hmpf, I wouldn't say that. She let him insult her before."  
"She did? What did he say?" prompted Don.  
"She asked if he thought she was a floozy, and he said he did."

Dons' brow furrowed.  
"That's weird. I know he's not thrilled that Tau seems to be getting some attention from Captain Iago. But it's pretty clear to me that she's not hugely appreciative of it either; so why would Raph think that?" he murmured, practically to himself as he rubbed his chin in thought. Turning to Leo he asked, "What did they say, exactly?" Repeating the brief conversation Leo scowled as Don broke into a light giggle.  
"What's so funny?" Leo demanded.  
"I don't think he was insulting her." explained Don. "I think his point was, if she _was_ a floozy, then _he'd_ have a better chance of, um, 'being' with her."  
"Oh." breathed Leo. Don continued,  
"You know, if you want to keep on with this agenda of yours to keep them apart, I think she's the one you have to keep on-side."

Leo almost dropped his jaw.  
"_I_ have to keep _Tau_ on-side?" he asked, exasperated.  
"Yep." nodded Don. "Just think about it; you telling Raph _not_ to do something is often all the motivation he needs _to_ do it. But, despite you repeatedly saying they should just stay friends for the past few months, that's still all they really are. Doesn't that seem a little...odd to you?"  
"He does listen to me…when he knows I've got his best interests at heart…" Leo haltingly tried to argue.  
"Ye-ah, right. Face it Leo, she's calling the shots on this one." Don declared bluntly.  
"Are you saying he respects her…, more than he respects me?" murmured Leo in disbelief.  
"Not in the dojo or anything like that. But when it comes to what's between those two, I'm afraid so Leo. I doubt he'd ever admit it openly, but I think that he…'respects' her…, he 'respects' her a _lot_!"

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Tau managed to sneak back into Iagos' hut without anyone in the village noticing she'd been gone. Quickly tidying away the deck of cards she'd left strewn about and setting all her clothes and hair to rights, she soon found herself pacing the small room in worry. It wasn't over the way Mike had teased her once he'd spotted the tail of her tattoo curled on the back of her thigh. She had gotten quite embarrassed over the incident; it just didn't seem to sit right with her that his brothers had seen it whilst Raph hadn't. Her real concern however, was that the turtles had left her quite a while ago now to go search for the hot-head, since he hadn't been seen after his disappearance into the jungle.

She jumped at the sound of a faint knock on the door. Unsure if she'd really heard something, or if the breeze had just made the timbers creak, she opened the door cautiously. Without his mask, it took her a moment to register who it was. He was stood with his right hand by his side, holding both his sai; his other hand behind his back, his expression an odd mix of petulance and hope.  
"Raph? Wha...?"  
"Just listen Tau." he cut her off, his tone a little gruff. "I know I'm not some... 'gentleman' or nuthin'. And I can't offer ya much. But I..., I just wanna... Damn it, here! Alright?" he shoved a handful of lush tropical flowers at her; many of the petals a little crumpled and bruised, some of the leaves wilting already.  
"Oh! Raph you didn't have to..." she petered out, a small furrow on her brow before she gave him a crooked smile and reached for his gift.

"My Lady, DON'T!" yelled Iago, racing up to them to grab the flowers out of Taushas' hand as she took them. Up-ending the bouquet he shook it violently, many bits of plant-matter fluttering to the floor as the blooms disintegrated under the assault. Raph pulled back his arm with a snarl, intent of making an assault of his own, when a large spider the same hue as the foliage dropped onto the dirt. Raph jumped backwards with a yelp in surprise. The arachnid raced straight towards Tau, who leapt onto the bed behind her with a scream. Iago stepped forward to valiantly crush the bug under his boot.

"There, my Lady. You are safe now." he offered her his hand to help her step down off the bed, smiling graciously. Tau glared at him in return, pointedly refusing his aid to hop down herself, though she gave the spot of mush on the floor a wide berth.  
"How could you do that?" she demanded. "You didn't have to kill it! It could be an endangered species or something! Sheesh, just because I was afraid of it doesn't give you the right to..." shaking her head, she stalked out of the hut in a temper.  
"But I...? I don't understand...!" beseeched Iago.

Tau ignored the Spaniard, stopping in front of Raph with a scowl that made him jerk his head back. He wasn't sure if she was mad at him for bringing the spider in the first place, or for his reaction to it.  
"And as for you!" she lectured with a stern wag of her finger. Raph opened his arms and mouth in protest, only to find himself caught in a sudden, fierce hug from the girl. Figuring now wasn't the time to argue, he folded her in his arms as she breathed unsteadily against his neck.

He couldn't help but smirk as he spotted Leo coalescing out of the shadows beneath the trees. The Leader scowled at first sight of them, but then cleared his face of his usual disapproval to give a begrudging nod. Don and Mike quickly appeared, close behind Leo; both grinning at the sight that greeted them.

"Tausha, my Lady?" Iago tried to get her attention after a few moments. "We need to get all aboard..."  
"Just...give them a couple of minutes." insisted Leo, startling the Captain who hadn't realised the other turtles were there. At the sound of Leos' voice Tau jerked her head up in surprise.  
"It's okay." assured Raph, attempting to pull her back into a close embrace.  
"Time and tide wait for no...'man'." pointed out Iago, his voice laced with derision.

"Iago's right, I guess we should make a move." murmured Tau, making Raph let her go of her by taking a step backwards; feeling a little rattled and confused regarding Leos' sudden seeming change of attitude towards them.  
"But... Argh! What was that for?" Raph demanded as she clipped him over the back of his head with the flat of her hand.  
"Making me worry!" she retorted. "And you know full well that I'd rather flowers be left where you found 'em!"

Turning on her heel, Tau swiftly walked away towards the beach, leaving Raph glaring after her in disbelief. His glower became a snarl as Iago treated him to a smirk before the Spaniard set off to follow the girl. At a total loss for words, Raph could do little more than clench his fists in frustration. Leo distracted him from his inner turmoil by shoving his mask and pads against his chest as he walked past, forcing Raph to catch them as he let them go.

Leo and Don kept walking on towards the beach.  
"See? What did I tell you. She doesn't let him get away with too much." asserted Don with a grin, in a quiet aside to his blue-clad brother. A short distance in front of them Nathaniel stepped over the walk shoulder to shoulder with Iago.

Tipping his head, the First Mate murmured to his Captain,  
"I believe this is one young filly it may not be worth your time chasing."  
"Hmpf!" scoffed Iago, smirking as he replied under his breath. "It will be a sad, cold dawn on Gods' green Earth the day _any_ young filly isn't worth the chase, my friend!"

Mike stopped beside his brother as he pulled on his gear, Raph treating him to a dark glower as he realised Mike was stifling a giggle.  
"What's your problem?" snapped the hot-head.  
"Nuthin'! That was just so...'whipish'!" taunted Mike. "Whip-_ish_, dude!" He chuckled for a moment more before gasping, "OW! Ow, ow, ow, _OW_!"

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A/N: Well, wha'dya think? Out of all the stories I've written for this series so far I feel this one is closest to the wire in terms of staying balanced and keeping each characters' mind-set clear cut for the reader. Most of the characters have their own little agendas and points of view driving their actions, and 'misinterpretations' are running riot. So feedback on these aspects of the story will be _**hugely**_ appreciated! If it's all getting too confusing, or you just wanna hit Raph and Taus' heads together to knock some sense into them, I'd love it if you let me know. I do take a lot of care re-writing these stories prior to posting elsewhere, so your comments and critiques seriously do help a lot.

Cheers!


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: I'm sure I jinxed myself with my last authors' ramble. As soon as ya say you're gonna update regularly harsh reality decides to intervene. -sigh- Anywho, apologies for the late update. My place has resembled an episode of ER lately, and I've been too busy nursing kiddos big and small back to health to get much done writing-wise. Unfortunately I've also lost my loan-a-lappie, and now only have access to the PC for one kiddo free(ish) day a week, and the occasional evening I can guilt hubbie into taking a break from CoH. So, yeah, regular updates might not be as forthcoming as originally planned!

Apologies too for a flub I manage to let slip past me in the last chapter. The First Mates' name is Nataniel, the Spanish version of Nathaniel. Unfortunately the English version managed to sneak in there a couple of times, but I've combed through this chapter to make sure it doesn't happen again.

Thank you most very muchly to RAPHAELFAN02, artykidd, The REAL Cheese Monkey, speechie42 and Shorty0908 for the reviews last chapter. Hope you all like this one too.

Many thanks as well to artykidd and CPQ (nice to have ya back chica) for doing a fantastic job with the beta-reading for this.

DISCLAIMER: I don't own the TMNT, or any related characters (much to their relief, I'm sure!) If there is anything else in this story you recognise from somewhere else, then I don't own that either.

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The beach was crowded with villagers as the turtles made their way to the dinghy. Ahead of them, Captain Iago and Nataniel were doing their best to offer Tausha a hand into the small boat, not that she accepted the help.

At first the villagers had stood, stoic as the turtles walked through their midst. Until one woman ran forward to throw herself at Donatellos' feet, seemingly begging him for something her tears and native language made incomprehensible to the genius. A moment later the turtles were swamped with dozens of women and children pleading their cases; some on hands and knees, others tentatively reaching to touch their arms, legs, and shells.

Kaelani pushed through the throng, quite easily as the other villagers stepped aside for her as soon as they realised who had tapped them on the shoulder.  
"What do they want?" Leo asked the wise-woman.  
"They offer prayers. Want you return husband..." she pointed at one woman, "...father..." she indicated some of the children this time, "...brother, uncle, sister..."  
"I get the idea." nodded Leo, a little abruptly as he quickly realised just how many of the tribes-people must be missing. "Tell them we will do all we can."  
"No." denied Kaelani simply. "You bring back. I know you will."

Leo shifted uneasily for a moment,  
"You do know that not all of your missing people may be at the mine. Some may have died, or been taken somewhere else. We may not be able to return them all."  
"I know. You return enough, make our tribe whole again. I know you will." assured Kaelani.  
"Do they?" probed Leo, tipping his head slightly towards the rest of the villagers.

Kaelani didn't get a chance to answer as a large group of children suddenly squealed and cheered in delight. Mike was laughing too, kneeling in their midst, busy 'extracting' small sea shells from behind various kids' ears, as if by magic.  
"The tide is running." called Iago above the din. Leo gave the Captain a curt nod before stepping over to join Mike, his other two brothers in tow. It wasn't long before they had ensured every child in the village had been given a little 'magic shell' of their own. Many of the adults started to smile a little as they watched the spectacle in awe themselves.

As the turtles took their leave to climb into the dinghy a few minutes later, Kaelani managed to catch Leos' eye, giving him a warm smile and a nod. He couldn't help but return the gesture, adding a wave to it as the small boat left the shore.

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Iago grudgingly had to admit to himself that the turtles certainly seemed able to hold their own upon his deck. They had quickly picked up on the jargon used by his crew, even though Edgardo made it deliberately confusing on occasion. And despite their earlier labour in digging out the Halcon del Mare, had still managed to put a lot of muscle into helping hoist the sails. Now the turtles and the girl were stood by the stern railing. Mike waved goodbye as the rest simply watched the village as they departed, heading for the gap in the protective volcanic rim and the open ocean beyond.

"Heh he! Oh, it's a pirates life for me, an' a merry ol' life it be!" Mike broke into song.  
"You're on the wrong vessel I fear, if it's pirating you want to be doing." interrupted Iago with a chuckle, barely looking away from where he was steering the ship.  
"Why'zat? I know we're not after buried treasure or nuthin', but you guys are still pirates, aren't ya?" queried Mike with a grin.  
"No, my friend. I'm a Kings' man, through and through. It's a _privateers_ life for me."

Mike screwed his face up in confusion. Since Iago was looking the other way and didn't notice, Don explained for his brother;  
"Pirates attacked any vessel they thought they could take. Privateers were loyal to their country and so only attacked vessels from opposing nations, under a contractual agreement with their own sovereign."  
"Yes," agreed Iago. "All we do is for the honour and glory of Spain. And if we make a little profit from it as well, who's to complain?"  
"Oh. It's still pretty much the same thing though, isn't it?" asked Mike sceptically.  
"Pretty much." shrugged Don.  
"Just don't call Edgardo a pirate," warned Iago lightly, pointing out the oldest member of his crew down on the main deck. "Or Nataniel. They'll likely slit your throat for the offense."

After a nervous gulp, Mike chuckled half-heartedly.  
"Guess I better think of a different song then, huh?" he murmured. "I know!" he perked, grinning again as an idea struck before he broke into a new song. "Rule Brit...mmph!" Don cut him off abruptly, wrapping a hand over Mikes' mouth.  
"Think again Mikey," urged Don. "We're in the Spanish Main. If the crew don't like to be called 'pirates', I doubt they'll appreciate a song venerating one of their enemies!"  
"Oh gees!" pouted Mike, once Don released his mouth. "Well, if these guys are Spanish, and hate the English all that much, why do they speak the language then, huh?"

"Shhh!" Don patted the air to indicate they should keep their voices down, Iago tilting his head as he tried to listen in. "I don't think they do, Mike. I think they are speaking in Spanish, but we comprehend it as English; and vice versa. Haven't you noticed that the way their lips move doesn't always match what it is they are saying?"  
"Pfft! Yeah right Donnie. How did ya come up with a crack-brained theory like that?" scoffed Mike.

With a resigned sigh, sure Mike wouldn't listen to his explanation anyway, Don began;  
"We're in the Caribbean, at a time when Spanish was the primary language here. There are two possible reasons why everyone we have met so far seems to speak English instead. One is that we are actually in an alternate dimension that is virtually identical to our own in every way, with the exceptions of the language some of the inhabitants speak and the period. The second is; the process that drew us here from our time also somehow altered our perception of what the people from this time are speaking, when they converse in a specific language. That is, the most common tongue we could be expected to hear and utilise."

Don paused briefly to eye his audience, hoping his brothers were still following what he was saying.  
"Occum's razor assumes that the least complex explanation is usually the correct one." he continued. "I think an entire parallel dimension is a little more complex than a minor, temporary variation effecting only a few individuals in our own, don't you?"  
"Uh-huh." droned Mike, eyes glazed.

"So it's a part of the magic that brought us here?" queried Tau.  
"Yes!" nodded Don, relieved someone had paid some sort of attention to his explanation for once. "It's actually reassuring in a way. If the...'magic' is still effecting us, surely that must indicate it wasn't limited to merely transporting us here. So we may still have a chance it will return us, once we satisfy the conditions for it to do so."  
"You got any bright ideas what those 'conditions' might be yet?" asked Raph.  
"I'm hoping that it will be the return of the majority of the missing villagers." answered Don. "Or perhaps it's something more definite, such as the elapse of a certain amount of time. However, Kaelani seemed sure that it was something that would help _us._ So perhaps it is more directly related to what we might gain here; be it knowledge or an item. Or it could be..."  
"So that's a 'no' then." butt in Raph sarcastically.

"All I want to know now is..." interceded Tau, making a grab for the railing as the ship started to roll in the swell outside the harbour, glancing over her shoulder to make sure the village had disappeared from view behind the rock wall, "...can I take this off?" she asked Don plaintively, touching the pearl necklace she still wore.  
"Uh, well, I'm not sure. It might be integral to the process for sending us home." replied Don. "But, I suppose you don't need to wear it until we've finished our task, at least." he conceded, hoping to cheer her since she looked utterly crestfallen at the prospect of continuing to wear the strand. With a smile in gratitude, Tau didn't waste a moment in tugging off the necklace. She quickly passed it over to Don, who held his hand out for it before he tucked it safely into a pocket on his belt.

"If I never have to wear that thing again, it'll be too soon!" exclaimed Tau in relief, her brow furrowing as she spotted Raph elbow Mike with a significant look. Mike grimaced in response, and Tau wondered if she was missing something, until Mike gripped his stomach with a groan. "You okay?" she asked him in concern. Mike nodded weakly as Raph started to chuckle,  
"You're feelin' sea sick, aint ya?" he taunted.  
"Don't be ridiculous," berated Tau lightly. "How can a turtle be sea sick?"  
"Heeey," moaned Mike. "I'm meant to be _in_ the water, not _on_ it!"

Leo gripped Mikes' shoulder in consolation.  
"Will you be alright?" he asked. Mike nodded again in answer, then swiftly shook his head before making a bolt for the railing. With a resigned sigh Leo moved to stand beside his retching brother, giving Tau a grateful half-smile as she took up a post on the other side of Mike.

"So much for being a pirate!" laughed Iago.  
"Yeah? Well, he'll grow out of it one day." retorted Raph with a scowl, clenching his fists in frustration that he couldn't come up with something better as Iago smirked at him. Figuring now wouldn't be the best time to K.O. the guy, though the snot definitely had it coming, Raph stalked down the steps to the main deck. Don followed him after sharing a worried glance with Leo.

------ ------

A short while after nightfall Leo and Tau helped Mike down the narrow stairs to the main deck, to join most of the crew in the Captains' cabin for dinner. It wasn't much; the same thin stew and flat bread they had eaten for breakfast and lunch, augmented with a few strips of dried and salted meat. Tau started to get really concerned when Mike turned his nose up at the meagre fare, refusing even a piece of bread. In the flickering lamp-light his face looked a very sickly pale green.

"Would you like some water at least?" she encouraged, pouring out a cupful from the metal decanter on the table. "It's easier to be sick when you have something to bring up." she assured, hesitating slightly in offering him the cup as she noticed the odd brown tinge to the liquid. Figuring she couldn't expect the quality of water she was used to in her time, and the crew seemed fine drinking the stuff, Raph already onto his second re-fill despite being engrossed in a muted conversation with Don, Tau put her concerns out of her mind.

Gingerly Mike took her offering, glancing at Leo who gave him a nod of encouragement. Steeling his resolve Mike took a gulp of the water, sat stock still for a moment until his eyes bulged and he spat the drink onto the floor beside him.  
"Arrrrgh!" he tried scrapping off his tongue with his fingers. "I's aw'ul!" he complained bitterly around his hand in his mouth. Cautiously Tau took a sip of the water in her cup, screwing up her own face at the taste.  
"Ugh! What's in this?" she demanded.  
"Just a little rum." explained Iago, barely keeping the smile from his face.  
"You don't have any fresh water?" asked Leo brusquely.  
"Fresh water doesn't stay fresh for long at sea. If we didn't add the rum, you'd be a lot sicker, my friend." Iago let his smile win through.

"I'm so sorry Mike, I didn't realise." murmured Tau sincerely, sparing the Captain a brief dark look as she half-hugged her friend.  
"It's okay Tau, I know ya didn't." assured Mike, giving a fleeting brave smile before he dropped his head on her shoulder with a groan. She finally got him to swallow a couple of spoonfuls of the broth, convincing him it would help to wash away the taste of the alcohol, before everyone else had finished eating and the table was cleared.

Iago then spread a map on the table-top, showing an archipelago that was roughly the shape of a crescent.  
"We are approximately a days' sail from these islands." he announced. "What I propose is; we secure the Halcon del Mare in this cove here." he pointed to a small 'U' shaped blob on the parchment, at the southern end of the group of islands. "We will start the search for the mine over here, on this island. We can scout it from the dinghy after nightfall, to avoid being seen. Gutierrez has at least six ships patrolling the area, and we already know they are well armed."

"Hold up." interrupted Leo. "I thought you said you knew where this mine was?"  
"I know it is somewhere on these islands." said Iago defensively.  
"What makes you think it's on _that_ island?" probed Leo, an edge of annoyance to his tone.  
"It's the first one in the chain that's big enough to support that kind of operation." shrugged Iago.  
"And if the mine isn't there...?" Leo prompted.  
"We move onto the next large island, here."

"I still say this is suicide." grumbled Edgardo, glaring at the turtles in antipathy.  
"And I say you should stow that sentiment." warned Iago sternly. "We have our fallen crew-men to avenge and Gutierrez is a traitor to our King. We have to act, our time is running short. And the reward will see us _all_ spend the rest of our days in comfort, I've already sworn to that." Edgardo responded with a grumble too low to be heard clearly by anyone else at the table.

"I don't know about 'suicide', but it's certainly not as clear cut as I was originally led to believe." scowled Leo. "I think it may be best if my brothers and I did the scouting, given the threat from these other boats is as dire as you say. If I read that map right, we should be able to swim the distance between the islands without tiring ourselves too much, and we'd be much more difficult to spot than the dinghy. Don?" he looked to his brainy brother for a consensus.  
"I think you're right Leo. And I have a little gadget that may help us with that. I've been wanting to try it out." grinned the genius.

"Sounds good to me." nodded the Captain. "I dare say you'll be wanting to get a good nights' rest. Nataniel will show you to your quarters. Of course, my Lady, you are welcome to the use of my cabin. I would not expect you to bunk below deck."  
"Oh, I don't mind." Tau smiled crookedly. "I can sleep anywhere, and I wouldn't want to put you out."  
"And I wouldn't want you tempting my crew." emphasised Iago.

"It probably is better you stay up here. You'll be more comfortable, at least." Leo murmured to the girl after a moment, since she seemed too stunned to say a word. She responded with a weak nod.  
"That's settled then." smiled Iago. "My Lady, we will leave you in peace to retire. If you require assistance with anything just call out the door for my Cabin Boy, Kirabo." he patted the young African boy on the shoulder. "Or myself. We will be taking the first watch this evening. If you require a maid, Amadika can be of service." he added, the older woman having left earlier with the dirty dishes.

"I'm sure I'll be fine on my own." Tau quipped as she stood and helped Mike to his feet, the turtle wrapping her in a hug.  
"Have a good night babe." he whispered.  
"You too, I hope you manage to get some sleep." she said, pulling back to press a hand gently to his cheek in concern.  
"Heh yeah. Think I'll be spending a bit more time at the railing first." he admitted sheepishly. From his pallor she didn't doubt it. She stayed where she was as Leo helped Mike to follow the rest of the crew outside. Only Raph hung back, a scowl on his face and refusing to meet her eyes, waiting until he was sure Iago was going to follow on his heels before he stepped out the door.

Tau felt oddly bereft as the door clicked shut. She realised Raph didn't like Iago, or her staying in the Captains' cabin. But he could've at least given her a smile, or something. What was there really for him to be upset about anyway? It wasn't like he was much more than a friend to her...  
"Ow!" she gasped under her breath, accidentally biting her lip a little too hard. She hadn't realised she'd been chewing it.

Shaking her head to clear it, Tau started to wander about the cabin. Despite it being much earlier than she usually went to bed, she was feeling tired. She figured it was a sort of 'jet-lag' from their time slip. However, she was also restless.

The room was furnished quite ornately, small oil paintings of various other vessels at sea adorned the walls. The furniture, whilst a little mis-matched and worn, was richly carved and upholstered. Besides the dining chairs there was one winged armchair in the back corner behind the table, a large chest positioned next to it. Most of the lower portion of the rear wall was dominated by a wooden rack holding various scrolls and bottles made of a dark green glass. Above the rack was a series of windows looking out over the wake of the ship, the sky dotted with stars as it came into view when the ship dipped forward over the swell.

On the opposite side of the room from the table was the bed, a kind of 'mini' four-poster that couldn't have been much wider than her single bed back in the Lair. It was built into the back corner of the room, and at the only corner protruding from the walls a smooth, narrow wooden column twisted up to the ceiling; thick, maroon, velvet drapes tied back to it. Against the wall at the foot of the bed was a small dresser with a slightly cloudy mirror set in a frame above it.

Tau blew out the few lanterns that lit the room as she meandered, except for the one on the bedside table. Finally deciding she should try to get some rest at least, she gingerly sat on the bed to kick off her boots. She didn't bother getting under the covers, deciding to sleep in her clothes again. She hugged herself for comfort as she curled up on the lumpy mattress.

Convinced she wouldn't get any sleep, she didn't extinguish the final lamp. Instead she started to fantasise about miraculously finding a washing mashine in some island hut. Then maybe a bath; warm, clean running water. She dozed off after a minute, a crooked smile on her face as a certain turtle stole unbidden into her dream.

------ ------

A sudden chill woke Tau, and she cracked open an eye to peer about the darkened cabin. The lamp beside her was still burning, just; the oil all but exhausted. The tiny, starving flame danced in the draft. She realised the door was slightly ajar before it was quietly shut again. Hardly daring to breath, let alone move, Tau was certain she was no longer alone. A shadow moved across the far side of the room; she heard something being placed on the table. Somehow she gathered the courage to sit up as she realised her visitor was silently approaching the bed.

"OH! My Lady! I didn't realise you were still awake." exclaimed Iago, startled by her sudden movement. "I was just going to check on you before I retired for the evening."  
"Uh-huh." dead-panned Tau, giving him a sceptical glare.  
"I swear on my honour!" he assured, a little put-out.  
"I'm fine." she pointed out bluntly. "You can leave now."  
"But, my Lady, this _is _my cabin. It would be unseemly for me to sleep with the crew."  
"You did in the village." she argued.  
"Yes." admitted Iago. "However, at sea protocol needs to be kept a little more strictly; it helps maintain a sense of order and morale amongst those on-board."

Tau folded her arms, her doubt regarding his claim clear on her face.  
"You do not trust me?" Iago asked plaintively.  
"You're trying into sneak into my bed, do you expect me to?" she retorted shortly.  
"I would never be so base as to enter a womans' bed without an invitation! I was planning to sleep on my chair." he pointed to the armchair in the far corner. "Unless, of course, you wish to invite me..." he smiled beguilingly. Tau rolled her eyes.  
"No. I think I need a little fresh air." she replied, leaning down to tug on her boots.

"Are you sure? It is very cold outside." warned Iago.  
"Yep."  
"Very well." he nodded, his face long with disappointment. "I shall keep to my chair, you will have nothing to fear from me on your return. Though I must say you are passing up a valuable opportunity."  
"Hmpf!" scoffed Tau. "You're sure you're that good, huh?" she asked derisively.  
"I am not so arrogant as to assume I am a great lover, though many have said so. But I would wager I am much more experienced than...either of you." he smiled charmingly, moving a step closer. "It is why you are holding back, insisting he is a friend when it is obvious you both feel much more strongly than that, is it not? I can assure you; I would be gentle. Much more so than I suspect he would be in his brash youth. And you may learn much that will help you with...'future endeavours'. He may thank you, in the end."

Tau quick-stepped away towards the door, a high colour on her cheeks.  
"I think not!" she declared. "And you're wrong, I'm not worried about... Our friendship is much more complicated than that, and absolutely none of your business anyway. You've known us for barely more than a day! How can you jump to such a conclusion?" she demanded.  
"My Lady," crooned Iago, shaking his head in light reproach. "I have been in enough lovers' tiffs to know one when I see one. The problem is you are having to endure all the anguish with none of the reward. That seems a very unfair state of affairs to me. I only wish to..."  
"Well I don't!" snapped Tau. "You have no idea, we're happy as we are. So just... butt-out!" she turned on her heel to stalk out the door.  
"It is an open offer; think about it!" Iago called after her, having to raise his voice to be heard above the slam of the door.

Iago hadn't been lying about the temperature outside. A cutting wind whipping across the deck made Tau pull her shirt tighter, tugging the cuffs over her hands as she hugged herself for warmth. She marched briskly to the prow, wanting to get as far from the cabin at the stern as possible. The spray from the waves the ship was plowing through soon made her cheeks and nose sting with cold.

She wasn't sure how long she had stood there, staring out at the ocean and the night sky as the wind tangled her hair, when a loud 'bang' of wood on wood from behind her made her jump. Swivelling, she spotted Mike scramble out of a hatch and dash to the side railing to dry retch. Laughter caught her ear and she realised Edgardo was at the wheel, obviously bemused by her friends' plight. Tau shot the old man a disapproving glare as she made her way quickly over to Mike.

He was already shivering from the cold. Tau stood where she thought she could best shield him from the wind; at least she had a couple of layers of clothes on, rather than a few strips of leather and cloth. He finally managed to turn his head to give her a ghost of a smile in thanks, Tau worried by how drawn his face looked.  
"Have you gotten any rest tonight?" she asked, concerned. Mike shook his head dejectedly in reply, though he trusted himself to stand a little straighter. "You shouldn't be out here." she berated lightly. "You're gonna catch your death of cold. C'mon, I'll help you back below."

"Thanks babe." croaked Mike, leaning on her a little as she wrapped an arm about his shoulders to guide and comfort him. "I dunno why I bother comin' up here anymore, it's not like I've brought up anythin' for hours. Why you out here, anyways?"  
"Uh, just wanted some air." shrugged Tau, keeping a hand on his arm as he climbed back down the hatch.  
"Air?" teased Mike half-heartedly after waiting for her to join him in the dark at the base of the ladder. "It's worth freezing your butt off for some air?" he managed past chattering teeth.

Tau gave him a crooked half-smile before wrapping an arm about him again.  
"Where are you guys sleeping?" she asked. Mike pointed out a steep wooden stair leading down to the next deck, a faint light spilling from it to glint off the small canons lining each side of the deck they were currently on.  
"I thought you weren't meant to be down here. It wasn't safe, or somethin'?" he furrowed his brow, trying to remember.  
"I think I'm safer down here than up there." muttered Tau darkly.  
"You okay?" Mike stopped in his tracks a moment to ask.

Tau opened her mouth to explain what had occurred, but she quickly thought better of it. If the turtles decided to turn on Iago they'd never get the damn villagers rescued. And right now, all she wanted was to head back home again asap. She shook her head slightly; _'back to the __Lair__ asap'_, she mentally corrected herself. She shouldn't be thinking of it as 'home', even though it was a darn-sight closer to her real home than she was right now.  
"Yeah." she assured Mike, as they found themselves in a narrow corridor running the length of the vessel, lit by a solitary hanging lantern. "It's nothing, I'm just a little home-sick."  
"Me too." he commiserated with a weak grin.

Quietly pushing open a door near the front of the ship, Mike led Tau into a narrow room hung with six hammocks; three of which were currently in-use. The room tapered to a point on one side, the far wall following the curve of the prow. A few crates and wooden boxes were piled haphazardly in the cramped corner, a lantern sitting on the floor beside the cargo was shuttered to prevent too much light from escaping it. Hooks running along the straight wall of the room held the gear of the other three brothers.  
"Do you want me to help you into a hammock?" whispered Tau.  
"Hell no! I can't sleep in those things on dry land, let alone here!" replied Mike under his breath, ducking under the ropes as he made his way over to the boxes, Tau close behind him.

Picking up a couple of blankets that had been tossed on the floor, Mike wrapped himself up and settled himself on the crates, leaning up against the wall for support. Seeing Tau was at a bit of a loss as to what to do, he pointed to one of the spare hammocks they'd passed. Most had blankets lying in them. With a little nod in understanding Tau turned to duck under the closest hammock, since it was already occupied. She hesitated as the turtle within stirred, gave a snort as he rolled onto his back, then started to snore loud enough to make her step back in surprise.

She glanced at Mike for a moment, seeing him stifle a giggle with the corner of his blanket. Cautiously she approached the hammock again, a little concerned that it surely couldn't be healthy for any living creature to make a racket like that in their sleep. As she watched the slumbering turtles' face for a minute however, she succumbed to a quirky little smile.  
"Raph?" she asked Mike, so quietly she practically mouthed the word. He nodded with a grin that disappeared into a grimace as his stomach protested the constant motion of the vessel again, Tau noticed he was still shivering badly as well.

With a quick look back over her shoulder at the sleeping turtle, Tau moved to sit beside Mike on the crates. She re-wrapped the blankets around both of them, then gave him another hug to warm him. She was shocked at how cold his skin felt, even though she'd been out in the wind much longer than he. Mike gave a contented little sigh as she started to rub his arms.

Feeling much warmer after a few minutes, though he wished the nausea was as easy to cure, Mike glanced up to give Tau a grateful smile. She didn't notice him though; she was staring at his brother, chewing her lip slowly.  
"Penny for your thoughts?" he prompted, smiling wider as Taus' cheeks coloured slightly. She snapped out of her reverie with a nervous chuckle.  
"I was just thinking he looks so...calm when he's asleep..." she looked back at Raph, the quirky little smile back on her lips. "Kinda...sweet." she murmured, inadvertently thinking out loud.  
"Raph?" giggled Mike in disbelief. "Girl, you got it bad!" he teased quietly, delighted to see her blush deeply even as she scowled at him in reproach.

Working her mouth for a moment as she tried to think of a fitting retort, her reprimand was cut short as Raph shifted again, his snore only interrupted for a moment before it resumed, somehow even louder than before.  
"Does he always sound like a chainsaw in a cement mixer when he sleeps?" she asked Mike, one eyebrow quirked in astonishment. It was Mikes' turn to search for the right words, suddenly worried his brothers' sonorous racket might present yet another hurdle in the two of them getting together.  
"Um..., no. Not _all_ the time." he answered, carefully. It was the truth, sort of. There was the rare occasion his brother would quieten for minute or two.  
"Huh." she breathed flatly, going back to observing Raph with a slight furrow on her brow.

Feeling suddenly anxious, Mike wracked his brain for something to say that would help matters.  
"He does care about you, you know." he murmured. Tau didn't answer, though her frown disappeared. Encouraged, Mike continued, "I know he can be a bit of a bone-head when he tries to talk to you about...this kinda stuff. But, he'd do just about anything to make you happy, and he'd never let anything hurt you."

"I know." admitted Tau sincerely, giving Mike a crooked little smile before she closed her eyes and rested her head back against the wall. "We should get some sleep." she advised.  
"Can't; I've got watch." said Mike.  
"Watch? For what?" questioned Tau.  
"Whatever." Mike explained with a shrug. "One of us always keeps watch when we're sleeping away from home. I knew I wasn't gonna get any shut-eye tonight so I volunteered." the end of his sentence was almost lost to a wide yawn.

Tau shook her head a little, with a resigned smile.  
"I'll keep watch, 'k? You need some sleep." she offered, gently pulling his head onto her shoulder.  
"You sure?" asked Mike, already nestling against her regardless.  
"Yeah." assured Tau.

Ten minutes later Leo let himself drift back into a deeper meditative state, one hooded eye still trained on the door. He could hear Tau start to quietly mumble incoherently in her slumber, the odd times the lulls in Raph and Mikes' snores coincided.


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: GOOD NEWS! I'm awaiting delivery of my very own shiny new notebook computer! It should be in my grubby little hands within the next day or so. -squeeee!- Yeah, I'm just a titch excited. Not least because it means I'll be able to write whenever I want to (read; whenever the kids are asleep and I'm not). And THAT means that I should hopefully get back to regular updates again soonish! The next chapter of this may be a little late. I have it finished, but am holding off sending it to my beta readers whilst I get chapter 8 completed (which it almost is), only to make sure the story flows on ok. The next few chapters are pretty much all action, not so much of this boring conversational guff, promise!

Many thanks to artykidd and CPQ for doing a wonderful job with the beta-reading for this. Always love your feedback chicas!

Reviews for the last chapter? -sighs as she watches tumble weeds roll out of her review in-box- Darn FFNet were having fun with their alert system _again_, which usually means my reviews go AWOL too. Either that or last chapter was just crap. Either way, if you have tried to send me any reviews since the 18th of July, I haven't gotten 'em. I've been assured the system is working once more now, so I'd love to hear from you all again. Good, bad, ugly (especially the ugly! I want to know if I've stuffed something along the line!) I really appreciate the feedback I get from everyone.

And for those that may be interested, I recently posted a little snippet of some original fiction over at Stealthy Stories. It's for a story my hubbie and I are collaborating on. If you'd like to check it out, the 'homepage' link on my Authors' Page here will take you to my little corner of SS.

DISCLAIMER: I don't own the TMNT, or any related characters (much to their relief, I'm sure!) If there is anything else in this story you recognise from somewhere else, then I don't own that either.

------- -------

"What the hell...?" broke into Taushas' slumber and she cracked open an eye to see a not-so-calm looking turtle swing himself deftly out of his hammock.  
"Raph, don't." Leos' steady order and hand on his shoulder stopped Raph from approaching, which Tau was quite glad for since her sleep addled brain was still processing why she couldn't move just yet. "Mike wouldn't have gotten any sleep if it weren't for her. Nothing improper happened at all. I would have been the first to step in to stop it, if it had." Leo assured the hot-head.

As Raph spent the next few moments glancing between his blue clad brother and her, Tau finally registered that most of what was restricting her movement was Mikes' weight slumped against her. His head was heavy on her shoulder, his breath making a drool soaked patch of her shirt chill. Other than that, the way she had slept propped up against the wall had left her with a terrible stiffness in her neck and back. Seeing her grimace as she tried in vain to shift, Leo quickly stepped forward to gently lift Mike off her. Despite Leos' care in wrapping Mike warmly in the blankets again and trying to lean him against the other wall, the movement still made his brother stir.

"Sorry." offered Tau contritely as Leo knelt, helping support Mike as he sat upright. Mikes' eyes flickered open, to roll back and quickly shut again as he moaned and swayed unsteadily with the movement of the ship.  
"It's alright Tau, you need to be able to move. And at least he got some rest. Thank you." replied Leo. With a little grin Tau tried to shake her head as she peeled herself off the wall, a sharp twinge making her quickly rethink the gesture as she wrapped her neck with her hands.

"What happened last night?" Leo asked levelly. Unprepared for the question Tau merely shrugged, the movement of her aching shoulders making her groan lightly.  
"I just slept awkwardly, hopefully it won't take me too long to work out the kinks." she gave a brave smile, cautiously bending from side to side to gauge the protests from her spine.  
"That's not what I meant. What happened to make you come down here?" pressed Leo, his tone unchanging.  
"Uh, nothing. I was just worried about Mikey..." she trailed off as Leo fixed her with penetrating look.

"I doubt Mike woke you." stated Leo, there was still no change to the tone of his voice, but it was clear to Tau he was in no mood to be beating around the bush.  
"No, he didn't." she answered, deciding to keep her answers as succinct as possible.  
"Why did you leave the cabin?" was Leos' next question.  
"I wanted some air."  
"In the middle of the night?"  
"I don't get to see the stars much, living with you guys." she explained simply.

Leo paused for a moment to contemplate, the hint of a contrite look flickering over his features made Tau feel a little guilty. She hadn't meant her last statement as a barb. She was about to apologise for it when Leo resumed his questioning. Raph, now dressed, came to stand behind his kneeling brother with his arms crossed; Mike starting to rub his face blearily as he grumbled under his breath.  
"What did wake you?" Leo asked.  
"How do you know I was asleep?" countered Tau.  
"I checked on you earlier..."  
"What? Why?"  
"Your safety is our responsibility Tau." explained Leo. She blew out an irate breath in response, keeping her glare trained on the corner of the crate she was seated upon.

"Did Iago wake you?" pressed Leo.  
"What does it matter?" Tau snapped, getting to her feet. "I'm more than capable of looking after myself, thank you. And couldn't you save the damn interrogation until after we've had some breakfast at least?"  
"Augh, babe! Don't mention food!" groaned Mike feebly, gripping his stomach.

The ship suddenly pitched steeply to one side, everyone reaching to steady themselves as the vessel abruptly tilted back the other way. No-one breathed for a moment as they all listened for an explanation for the lurch, relaxing again as the ship merely resumed its usual roll over the waves. Except for Mike; eyes clenched shut, one hand over his mouth and the other hugging his waist. He bolted for the door as soon as the ship settled into its rhythm, his blankets falling unheeded in his wake.

Glancing after Mike despondently, Leo rose from his knees to turn to Tausha again.  
"It matters a lot Tau. If he did anything..." he began, cut off by a sharp glare and gasp of indignation from the girl. She scooped up one of the blankets that had crumpled to the floor before turning her back to stalk after his brother.  
"Drop it Leo, I'm not interested in discussing it right now." she grumped, stopping in the doorway to briefly glower at him again. "Got it?" she demanded, not waiting for an answer before she disappeared into the hallway.

"I'm such a fool..." mumbled Leo under his breath, looking to the floor. Raph wasn't sure if he should be worried, or enjoy the spectacle of Tau berating Leo; he settled on worried.  
"Why bro?" he asked softly. Leo sighed before he met his brothers' eyes.  
"I realised Iago had manipulated us into leaving Tau in his cabin as soon as we were given this room to ourselves. How could she 'tempt' his crew from in here? However, I thought I was reading too much into it. I waited, checking on her when I went up to make sure Mike was okay; the times he stayed up on the deck for more than a few minutes. She was already asleep the first time I looked in on her. I decided to let her rest, and made Iago give me his word no harm would come to her. I assumed he knew the meaning of honour..." Leo grimaced to himself, no longer able to face the concern starting to build on Raphs' face.

"We can't leap to conclusions Leo." put in Don from where he had sat up in his hammock. "I suggest you be a little cautious when questioning her about it. If something did happen that she might not want to admit readily, you'll probably make her too defensive to discuss it openly if you don't let her have some control over the conversation. I don't think she's really the type to 'kiss and tell' anyway, and if he forced her... Arrgh, hey!" he protested almost being tipped out of his bed as Raph roughly shouldered under it in his dash out of the room.

"We'd better go after him!" advised Don urgently, trying to still his swinging hammock. "If Iago did hurt her, Raph'll kill him!"  
"_I'll_ kill him, if he has hurt her." muttered Leo, helping bring his brother to a halt; his dark tone giving Don pause for a moment.  
"You can't blame yourself..." he tried to console.  
"Who else is there? Her welfare is my responsibility, just like the rest of you. And I've failed to protect...again..."

Don slipped out of his bed to surprise his brother with a swift, firm embrace before looking him in the eye.  
"You've never failed any of us before. And you don't know the complete facts of what's happened now..." he pointed out, cut off by a curt nod from Leo.  
"Let's go find out then." the Leader declared, striding purposefully out of the room. With a little resigned sigh, Don grabbed his gear off the hook on the wall and followed.

Raph scrambled out of the hatch. Spotting Tau, holding the blanket in place over his brothers' shell as Mike leaned over the rail, he started to race over. He came to a halt however, a few steps short. He knew from experience that Don was right; Tau hated to easily admit when someone had hurt her. But this wasn't a New York rooftop where he had the luxury of spending time distracting her with sparring and goofing off, waiting for her to drop her guard enough to give him the bare bones of the problem.

If she'd been a bit more open then, the times she'd turned up to their old meetings with a split lip or eyes red from crying, he wouldn't have been so thrown when she'd finally revealed just who her father was. This time Raph needed answers, now. Had she really been in trouble, or had she only wanted a 'time-out' from Iago? It wasn't her style to rush into anything with a guy. Or, at least, he hoped like hell it wasn't...

He took a moment to plaster what he hoped passed for a smile on his face before he walked over to casually lean on his forearms on the railing beside her.  
"Hey." he offered.  
"Hey." she replied, giving him a brief ghost of a smile over her shoulder.  
"You okay?" he asked pensively. Tau sighed heavily, turning to him with a light frown.  
"Yes." she stated flatly. "What does it take for you guys to trust me when I say 'nothing happened', huh?"

Raph stopped her turning away, grasping her arm to pull her back around and hooking her other arm to keep her there. He made a conscious effort not to grip her too hard.  
"It's not that I don't trust you. I don't trust _him_." he asserted. "And if you just told me what he did..." he failed to keep the snarl from his voice.  
"Iago didn't '_do'_ anything. Okay?" she scowled. "We had a conversation, that's all. He raised a few...'opinions' that I disagreed with. And when I came out here to clear my head, I got caught up helping Mike. So just leave it, please?" she asked, resting her hands on the top edge of his plastron to placate him. "And promise you won't make trouble, no matter what Iago says. He might try to get a rise out of you, but it's not worth it. Really. Alright?"

A little taken aback by her request, the gravity of it reflected in her eyes, Raph finally gave a resigned nod. With a crooked little smile, that seemed more sad than happy to him, Tau dropped her hands from his chest and made to step away. He stopped her again, using his grip on her to pull her closer instead. Tau quirked an eyebrow in query at him.  
"You don't...don't 'like' this guy, do ya?" he asked warily. To his surprise her expression changed to one of...pity? He certainly didn't find it reassuring.  
"Raph, I..."

"Good morning, my Lady!" enthused Iago as he strolled toward them. Despite the Captains' warm smile Nataniel and Edgardo followed close behind him, neither looking particularly welcoming. Tau noticed Leo and Don were stood stoically behind Raph. Mike turned from the railing to casually rest a hand on his 'chuck, Nataniel taking up a similar pose with the butt of his pistol. Glancing about at the dark looks on all sides, Tau felt she had to act fast to diffuse the situation.

"Good morning." she beamed in return, stepping out to meet Iago. His deep, elaborate bow gave her pause.  
"I apologise if I caused you any discomfort last night. I can see how you could have misunderstood my intentions." he smiled contritely.  
"I'm not sure how much I 'misunderstood', but I'm willing to let by-gones be by-gones." assured Tau, raising her voice a little in the hopes her message would get through clearly to everyone else stood around.  
"That is most gracious of you, my Lady." Iago dipped his head, the tension in the air beginning to relax a little. "However, I did become concerned when you did not return to my bed."

Tau tried to hide her grimace as she could _feel_ the animosity radiate anew from the turtle behind her.  
"Oh! You did?" she asked, incredulous.  
"Of course! Your welfare is one of my fore-most concerns..."  
"Uh-huh." dead-panned Tau. "Well, the welfare of my friends is one of mine." she declared flatly.

Iago eyed Tausha and the turtles for a moment.  
"Come, my friends." he suddenly smiled broadly. "It is high time we broke bread." With that he led his crew-men back to his cabin. Tau lingered with the turtles for a moment. The taut set of Raphs' jaw was plain for her to see, though he refused to meet her eyes.  
"Thank you, for not saying anything." she murmured gratefully.  
"Yeah. Whatever." he growled, shouldering past her.

Leo and Don walked by, offering strained smiles as they collected Mike and followed Raph. Mike looked back over his shoulder.  
"C'mon babe!" he urged as he saw she wasn't walking with them. She gave him a nod, raising her hand to indicate she'd be along in a moment. Once she was alone on the deck she buried her face in her hands, wondering how the hell her life had become so damn complicated? She steadied herself after a moment with a deep breath, bolstered her courage by standing straight, shoulders back and strode purposefully down the deck to her breakfast.

------ ------

The sun was riding low in the west when Alejandro called "Land ahoy!" from the crows nest. Nobody on-board was more relieved to hear it than Mike. The day had passed in relative peace; the turtles helping the crew adjust the sails occasionally, interspersed with some light kata and sparring on the main deck.

Leo was careful not to work his brothers hard, not wanting to fatigue them prior to their mission. And also not wanting them to dehydrate anymore than necessary under the warm bite of the sun. He was sure he wasn't alone in suffering a headache from having to drink the rum-laced water. The only one who didn't seem adversely affected by the mixture was Raph, and Leo didn't want him drinking enough to lose his restraint.

Mike had joined his brothers in their training as much as he could, though he'd still spent much of his time gripping the railing instead. Leo was grateful for Tau giving up her training time to look after his brother, and for her efforts to diffuse the tension on-board. He wasn't entirely sure regarding the state of the relationship between the Captain and the girl, but he did appreciate her frowning upon the odd suggestive remark from the Spaniard throughout the day. And for her fore-sight in making Raph promise not rise to his bait.

Leo was sure Iago would have lost a few teeth by now, minimum, if Raph hadn't made that particular guarantee. And despite his own dislike for the Spaniard, and the way the man seemed to enjoy taunting his hot-headed brother, Leo understood that fighting amongst themselves now would endanger their mission. He had made a promise to himself, however, that he wouldn't overly discourage Raph from venting his frustrations upon the Captain; once the villagers were safe.

As the crew and the other turtles were kept busy adjusting the rigging to slow the ship and guide her into the small cove, Mike and Tau kept out from underfoot by sitting in the shade under the stairway to the aft deck. Leo had ordered Mike to rest to keep up his strength, whilst Iago had insisted that Tau couldn't possibly be expected to assist with such labour. Now she was occupying herself with pulling apart the threads on the coils of thick rope she and Mike were seated upon. Watching her vandalism with interest, Mike quirked an eye-ridge.  
"You bored, or cheesed off?" he queried casually, his voice a little hoarse from the strain his sea sickness had put on his throat.

Tau shot him a brief sardonic look.  
"Both. I'm so friggin' glad we live in a time where women can actually _do_ things. Heck, I'm starting to miss being able to clean ovens all day! I hope I'll still have a damn job to go back to..." she trailed off, lost in her own thoughts.  
"Why wouldn't ya?" Mike asked, bafflement on his face.  
"I just disappear for a few days or so, then turn up again happy an' healthy and with a nice tan? I don't think claiming a few sickies would really cut it too well with Mr Valentino. It's not like I could get a doctors' note or anything either." she explained, a little sarcastically. Mike nodded slowly in response.

They passed a minute in silence, Tau rubbing her eyes occasionally to dull the ache behind them.  
"Can you talk to Raph for me?" she asked out of the blue.  
"Huh?" Mike perked his head in surprise. "Sure. 'bout what?" his brow furrowed in thought. "And why can't you talk to him?"  
"I've tried." sighed Tau. "But I just can't seem to get a moment alone with him today. And he seems to have gone all 'cold shoulder' on me again anyway." she rolled her eyes.  
"Yeah, but you know Iago does make it sound like there's something goin' on between you an' him..."  
"Gees! I've lived with you guys for months and haven't done anything with Raph!" she exclaimed, her gaze sliding away for a moment. "Much." she qualified under her breath before continuing. "Why would I hook up with some other guy in just a couple of days, huh? I mean, what's Iago got going for him that's so great?"

"He's good lookin'." shrugged Mike. "Speaks all proper an' stuff, is human... I could be wrong here, but that's the kinda thing chicks usually go for, aint it?"  
"He's a jerk." declared Tau.  
"You've called Raph that before, and it doesn't seem to have stopped ya likin' him." Mike speculated.  
"I've called you one too. So going by that reasoning Raph should be more worried about me falling for you! At least we've actually spent a night together." she argued flippantly. Mike tilted his head as he considered her point, a self-indulgent grin breaking out on his face. Tau gave a disparaging grunt, lightly elbowing him in the arm as she shook her head, scowling in rebuke.

"Okay, okay." Mike conceded with a weak chuckle.  
"I don't get why Raph's so het-up about it anyway?" continued Tau. "It's not like I'm about to dump him for Iago. We're not even 'together' in the first place, so I couldn't really, whether I wanted to or not!"  
"Yeah, I suppose." replied Mike, sounding a little down. "Raph doesn't always look for the 'bright side' of things, ya know? And I know he's not your boyfriend or anythin', but it still cuts him to think he might lose you to someone else. Especially if it were to happen' right under his nose." With a sigh, Tau responded with a glum nod.

"If you don't like Iago, why don'cha just come out and tell him you're not interested?" asked Mike. "It's not like you to pull your punches too much."  
"I did! Last night; I thought I'd made it pretty clear. And he hasn't _really_ said anything today, it's all just...innuendo and crud. I'm worried if I tell him to go jump, and his crew overhear, it'll stir up everything. If I can just keep the peace until this is all over, it'll surely make everything run a bit smoother..."

------ ------

The Halcon del Mare was moored in a narrow cove, barely able to accommodate the size of the ship; walled for the most part by cliffs. The surrounding island rose in a sharp ridge from the ocean. The dense jungle that covered its' steep slopes seemed to cling perilously, overhanging the bare black rock exposed by the low tide. The only safe place to land was a thin strip of beach, consisting mainly of crushed seashells, that had collected within the cove.

Mike had quickly regained his appetite once he was off the ship, everyone enjoying the juicy fruit Alejandro and Kirabo had gathered as a welcome addition to their usual meal of broth and bread. The two boys were then sent to keep watch for enemy ships from the highest peak of the small island.

In the dying light of the sunset Leo, Don and Raph were looking over the map of the archipelago again. Mike slept beside them. Iago and the rest of his crew were engrossed in a quiet discussion of their own further down the beach. Tau was crouched at the waters' edge, roughly between the two groups, giving her shirt as good a wash as she could manage without getting her jeans and singlet soaked too much.

"Looking at the topology again, my first guess would be that this island is the most likely to house the mine." Don pointed to one of the larger islands in the chain, only a small distance further north than the one Iago had originally suggested.  
"Alright." Leo gave a curt nod. "We will stop off at the first one regardless, for a quick breather and to ensure the mine isn't there. No point by-passing it only to find it was the one we wanted after all. And it won't add too much to the distance we have to swim."

"What are we gonna do once we find this place?" asked Raph.  
"I have a few flare-bombs, we could use those to send a signal to Captain Iago for he and his crew to join us." suggested Don. "The only problem is, that might attract the Commissionairs' patrol ships as well."  
"Better'n swimmin' all the way back here..." grumbled Raph.  
"We'll make that call when we find the mine and can assess the situation." stated Leo, the sound of footfalls approaching gaining his attention.

Having hung her shirt on a low branch to dry, Tau joined the turtles' huddle. She sat down heavily between Leo and Raph; the latter not bothering to look her way, suddenly fascinated with crushing the shell-grit to a fine powder between his fingers.  
"I don't suppose there's any chance I could come along with you guys, huh?" she asked, though her tone betrayed the fact she was already resigned to her fate. Leo shook his head.  
"I'm sorry Tau." he apologised sincerely. "You would hold us back in the water. I'd like to gather our intelligence as quickly as possible so that, hopefully, we can make our attack tonight."  
"It's okay, I just wish I could get involved. Do something constructive to help out." she shrugged.  
"You've been a big help with looking after Mike while he's been ill." Leo offered with an encouraging smile. "I'm planning on leaving him here. I want to know you're protected."

Tau eyed him for a moment.  
"I am capable of looking after myself. I'm not a child Leo." she asserted, an irate edge to her tone.  
"No you're not." agreed Leo, his own voice stern. "However, I am not going to leave you alone on an island where the odds are at least three-to-one against you, without so much as a weapon..."  
"Give me a weapon then." Tau bluntly interrupted.  
"You are not being reasonable..."  
"I'm sure Mikey's gonna say the same thing to you when he hears of this. I heard you promise him he could go if he managed to keep down some food and get some sleep. He's done that Leo..."  
"I said 'enough sleep'. We will be heading out as soon as it's fully dark, he won't have had more than an hours' rest by then. I doubt he'll even wake before we go."

The two locked gazes for a long moment, adamantine brown on steel grey.  
"_That_ is _not_ fair." asserted Tau quietly.  
"He understood what I meant when I said it." countered Leo, his own voice deceptively calm.  
"So if he wakes before you go, you'll take him?"  
"_If_ he wakes, I'll...consider it."  
"If not, you leave me with a sleeping guard. Great." Tau pointed out, with a hint of sarcasm.  
"Do you trust the Captain and his crew enough to be left alone with them?" asked Leo.

Taus' gaze wavered slightly as she contemplated her answer.  
"I'm no 'ninja', but they won't be doing anything I don't want them to. I can assure you of that." she stated with certainty, clenching a fist. "Besides, you said yourself, they need us as much as we need them. If Mike wakes, you should take him. It saves you being a man down. I'm willing to take the risk, it'll increase our chances of going home that much sooner."

Leo tuned his senses to the deep breath he drew and slowly released before he nodded slightly, still not breaking eye contact with the girl. Casually he rubbed at his shoulder, his fingers slipping under the strap for his katana as he massaged. Then he leaned forward to take her hand in both of his own.

"Do not hesitate, your safety comes first." he instructed, a sudden broad smile on his face that did nothing to diminish the seriousness in his eyes. Taus' attention flickered to where their hands were clasped, surprised by the feel of a smooth metal rectangle being pushed into her palm. Leo gave a laugh, Tau following suit as she realised Nataniel was approaching. She kept the object she'd been given hidden in her palm as she sat back again, until she could surreptitiously slip it into the pocket of her jeans.

------ ------

It was a dark night. The myriad stars filling sky were beautiful, but offered little light to actually see by. The moon was a mere sliver hanging just above the horizon. The turtles were busy stripping their gear and bundling it together, Don fiddling with a small black box he'd fished out of his belt.  
"Viola!" he exclaimed proudly as the box released an astounding amount of dark fabric that dangled limply from it. Mike yawned hugely in response.  
"Awesome dude." he dead-panned, still rubbing the sleep from his eyes. "But, like, what does it do?"

Don gave the fabric a strong flick, as if to straighten out the wrinkles in it; one side snapping rigid.  
"It's a waterproof bag, to save our gear from being warped and damaged by prolonged immersion. This leading edge acts as an aquaplane, reducing the resistance to pull it through the water. The material is infused with micro-nodules of Styrofoam, giving it enough buoyancy that it should float, even with the weight of our weapons. And here..." he pulled a long cord with an odd looking clip out of the contraption, "...is where we can attach it to the carapace on one of us, like so." he slipped the clip neatly onto the rim of his shell behind his head. "In order to tow it. Neat, huh?"  
"Uh-huh." Mike yawned again. Dons' grin and shoulders slumped a little in dejection.

"It is a very cool invention." assured Leo, placing a consoling hand on his genius brothers' arm, making his smile and posture perk happily again. "Thank you. The salt plays havoc with my blades." Leo levelled a reprimanding look at Mike that was a little harsher than he'd intended. Ducking his head contritely, Mike didn't notice Leos' frown then skipped toward Tau as she stood clear, rubbing her bare arms in the early evening chill.  
"Sorry Donnie, it seriously _is_ a cool gizmo. I hate having to wear soggy pads!" exclaimed Mike. "You want me to take the first turn with towing it?"  
"Sure!" grinned Don, all hurt forgotten.

Having stowed his gear in the bag, Raph paced for a moment before he stalked over to the girl, a scowl set on his face.  
"I don't like this." he stated brusquely. "Do you... Do you want me to stay?"  
"No Raph." she assured sincerely, gently gripping his shoulder. "I'll be fine." With a crooked smile she briefly pressed a light kiss to his cheek. "Good luck. Be safe." she urged in a murmur by his ear before taking a half-step back. Taken by surprise, Raph brushed his fingertips down his cheek where he could still feel the warmth from her breath.  
"Ah..., you too?" he offered in reply. Unsure of what else to say he hesitantly returned to his brothers, helping Don and Mike to drag the laden bag into the water as Leo discussed something discretely with Iago by the waters' edge.

Try as he might, Raph couldn't stop himself from repeatedly glancing over his shoulder as the four of them waded out into the deeper water. Tau stood on the beach watching them leave, hugging herself again for warmth. She only looked away from them to give a terse smile as Iago moved to stand beside her.  
"Oh man! Does it feel _so_ much better being in the water than on it!" enthused Mike as they started to swim proper.  
"Yeah." agreed Don, in a much more hushed tone than his brother. "It's nice to get a chance to swim in clean sea water." he grinned. Even Leo smiled back over his shoulder in agreement. Looking back at Raph, wanting to see all his brothers' smiles, Mike was disappointed to see a scowl on the hot-heads' face instead.

They were almost out of the cove, however Mike stopped to tread water for a moment. Raph almost swam into him, distracted as he was looking back at the beach past the hull of the Halcon del Mare.  
"Don't stress bro. You've got nuthin' to worry 'bout." Mike tried to console. "She thinks he's a jerk. And not all of us got a kiss goodbye!" he grinned cheekily. Raph quirked an eye-ridge at his brothers' revelations, but they did little to ease his worry. 'Goodbye?' echoing within his head, he mentally cringed away from the connotations that brought to his mind.

"Mind on the mission Raph." prompted Leo, having to swim back a short distance to collect his two dallying brothers. "This was her choice." he reminded bluntly. Mike immediately followed Leos' abrupt hand signal for them to move out. Raph hesitated, grimacing as he looked back to see Iago wrapping his coat around Taus' shoulders. Why did Leos' words give him a horrid sense of dejavu?

With a shake of his head, attempting to clear it and convince himself that Mike was right, to no avail, he reluctantly followed his brothers. The swell of the open ocean making further conversation all but impossible, they started to swim swiftly under the surface of the water, only rising occasionally for a breath and to take their bearings.


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: Artykidd, RAPHAELFAN02; thank you both for leaving such great reviews last chapter. I really appreciated them. My apologies this chapter is so late. The next instalment is practically ready to be posted, so with any luck that one will be on time!

Many thanks as well to artykidd and CPQ for beta-reading for this. Hope you can you feel the love chicas: D

FYI: An 'ingot' is a mass of material cast into a shape which is easy to handle. It can also refer to the mould used in such casting. In this story, the term applies to bars of gold.

DISCLAIMER: I don't own the TMNT, or any related characters (much to their relief, I'm sure!) If there is anything else in this story you recognise from somewhere else, then I don't own that either.

------- -------

Leo felt sick to his stomach, looking down on the small encampment nestled in the bottom of a rocky valley. To his left, the head of the steeply sloping vale was lit by burning torches, surrounding the mouth of the mine-shaft. The entrance was so cramped most of those coming and going from it had to crouch. The only exception was a child of around ten years hauling a bucket almost half their own size back into the shaft, a young woman giving him a helping hand to ensure the boy didn't stumble. Those that left the mine carried or dragged their buckets up a long, wooden ramp to dump the contents into a stockpile below.

The stockpile was situated within a compound surrounded by tall, sharpened pickets. There was only one gate in the wall, guarded by two white men carrying rifles. More armed guards stood among the workers within. The ramp was built out over the wall; too high for anyone within the compound to reach, even from the top of the stockpile. Those working inside the enclosure crushed the rock from the mine further. They then extracted the gold by sifting and panning it from the dirt, to melt the precious metal within a crude earthen oven in order to pour ingots.

The slaves wore nothing but rags. Each of them had their ankles chained together, the short length of the restraint forcing them to shuffle. Most had blood dried on their feet from the manacles chaffing and cutting into their skin. Many also had other wounds and marks, testament to the rough and dangerous working conditions and the abuses of their captors.

As they watched, the turtles saw one worker in the enclosure burn himself badly as he slipped and fell, his hand landing on one of the heated moulds. His cry of pain earned no sympathy from his guards. His co-workers took the time to pull him to one side before they quickly returned to their work, scurrying away from a burly guard who unfurled a whip as he approached the injured villager. The wretched man received three lashes before he was dragged from the compound, further down the slope and dumped in an open-sided hut where numerous other villagers were sleeping. Another slave was kicked awake and taken to the processing compound to take the place of his wounded comrade.

The whole of the mining operation was surrounded by a second, sharpened palisade; this one with a narrow walk-way running along its' inside edge, seven more armed guards patrolling it. To Leos' right the valley opened out to reveal a wide bay, a long jetty running out into it. There were a few sturdy, European-style buildings set above the beach. The white men that wandered between them looked much more relaxed than those on duty. One large, three-masted ship was docked at the jetty. A second was moored out in the bay, lights shining from its' decks.

It had taken the turtles little over an hour to reach the island; the one Don had picked out on the map earlier. On their journey they had spotted another vessel patrolling the surrounding waters. Leo was certain there were more they hadn't seen. Beside him Raph shifted, a low growl issuing from his throat as another villager was whipped for dropping their bucket. Mike had a horrified grimace on his face, and Don had his teeth and fists clenched.

"Are you all good to take this operation out on our own?" Leo asked of his kin, though it wasn't really a question. He felt the need to teach those responsible for the travesty he was witnessing a lesson or two himself.  
"Heck yeah." nodded Mike quietly.  
"The sooner we get this done, the sooner we can all get the hell outta here and get things back the way they were." snarled Raph, his sai already drawn.

Don readied his own weapon in anticipation;  
"If we set off a flare now we'll lose the element of surprise." he pointed out.  
"Quick and quiet." nodded Leo curtly. "We split up; take the outer guards, then meet in the shadows above the mine entrance. We hit the inner compound with group tactics. Go." Silently all the turtles followed Leos' directive, melting into the shadows beneath the trees in an instant.

Less than ten minutes later the turtles reconvened on the rise above the mine-shaft. Since the guards all seemed more concerned with keeping a watch on the slaves, rather than for intruders, the alarm hadn't been raised as yet that the outer wall was no longer manned. No-one had noticed as one guard had vanished into an overhanging tree, four more being pulled abruptly over the edge of the fence they were supposed to be guarding. The last two were still on the walk-way; one sat, the other seemingly stood, leaning against the palisade. However, they were both slumped like puppets with cut strings.

One of the slaves heading back into the mine was the first to look about with a hint of confusion on his face, his expression alerting a guard stood to one side of the shaft entrance. The guard drew his pistol as he realised the situation. The barrel of the gun hadn't cleared its holster before its owner slumped to the ground with a broken neck, revealing the turtle that had leapt down silently behind the guard to the astounded islander.

The other couple of guards nearby suffered a similar fate as more of the slaves halted to stare in disbelief.  
"A...Ayotl?" stammered the first villager, an uncertain smile dawning on his face. "Ayotl!" he practically jumped for joy, his elation cut short by a firm hand clasped over his mouth. The other slaves froze as they awaited the fate of their comrade.

"We need you to be quiet. Do you understand what I am saying?" Leo hissed. His captive nodded hesitantly. "Good. Tell them..." he pointed to the other slaves, "...to act as if nothing has happened for a short while longer." he ordered, releasing the villagers' mouth. The young man hastily whispered the command in his native tongue. The other slaves then started to mill about, pretending to be working, helping those still leaving the mine to carry their loads up the ramp. A few hurried back into the shaft.

"Are there any guards down there?" Leo asked his interpreter, indicating the mine. The villager gave him a grin.  
"Soon there won't be." he assured fluently with a smile. A brief, faint scream echoed from underground as if to prove his point. Leo nodded his understanding with a grim half-smile.  
"Keep your people here, out of harms' way..." continued Leo, cut off by the villager gripping his arm.  
"We can fight, let us help!" he pleaded. Leo shook his head sternly.  
"What your people need now is a chance to go home. Let us clear the way. Once the guards are dealt with you can follow us down the valley to gather the other slaves."

"Wait!" the villager called as Leo turned away, making the turtle pause. "How will we get past the ships?" Leo glanced to Don, who gave him a slight shrug in reply.  
"We'll figure that out once we've dealt with the enemies we have here on land." answered Leo, walking away to join a huddle with his brothers.

"What now, Fearless?" prompted Mike with a grin. Leo glanced about at his brothers' faces, all lit with the exhilaration of battle. It was easy to see, however, that Raph was close to the edge. His hands were repeatedly tensing their grip on his weapons, a slightly manic glint in his eye. The skirmishes they'd had so far had only whet his battle-lust. Leo decided to use his brothers' pent-up frustrations to their advantage.  
"Mike; you and Don go around the outside of the compound, secure the gate. Raph and I will drive them down the slope to you."  
"There's a lot of guards in there, are you sure...?" Don didn't bother finishing his query. Raph flashed them a massive, fanatical grin before he raced up the ramp, launching himself off the end of it with a feral battle-cry.  
"Yep." dead-panned Leo. An instant later he was sprinting after his hot-headed brother, gun-shots starting to ring out above the sudden din of shouts and screams.

Don and Mike wasted no time running down the slope outside the compound. They quickly found themselves in a fray of their own, with the confused guards that were approaching from the slaves' huts to investigate the disturbance. In the dim, flickering light of the torches that lit the place, the turtles held the advantage. The odd times their opponents got a clear look at their faces usually left the men too shocked to keep their guard up. Otherwise the turtles took full advantage of the dancing shadows to confuse and evade their opponents.

Mike took out the last guard they faced with a solid punch to the bridge of his nose. Leaving the man where he lay, Mike quickly joined Don; each stood either side of the narrow gateway. Not a moment too soon as panicked guards started to scramble out of the compound, Don and Mike taking turns knocking the unsuspecting escapees into unconsciousness.

Meanwhile, Raph had landed heavily on one side of the large table where the rock was being crushed further. His impetus cracked the thick wood, even as it tipped it up, flinging debris off the table-top into the eyes of the guards to his right whilst giving him an instant barricade from the ones on his left. He ducked down with the villagers that had flung themselves to the floor at his yell, the top edge of his shelter splintering under a hail of bullets that did more damage to the guards that got caught out still wiping dust from their faces.

Tucking away a sai as he rolled towards one of the guards that had fallen, Raph scooped up his pistol. A wicked grin broke out on his face as he levelled the weapon at another enemy. The target he chose wasn't the easiest shot he had available, but the guy had particularly long black hair tied back at his nape and that had caught Raphs' eye. To his dismay, he only managed to clip his target on the arm.  
"Fuckin' _damn it_!" he cursed savagely, the gun merely clicking as he kept pulling on the trigger. Unable to figure out the complex mechanism to get the flint-lock pistol to fire again Raph threw the weapon, hitting another guard approaching him in the fore-head and thus off his feet.

Leo landed neatly nearby, taking out two guards in the process with his blades. However, he left Raph to battle most of their opposition, concentrating instead on gathering the slaves together and protecting them. That was fine by Raph. A fight like this was just what he needed after the frustrations of the last few days. It was easy to imagine Iagos' features on the mainly Hispanic guards that faced off against him. Venting his hurt and anger, most of the men were soon fleeing from his savage attacks.

When the last of the guards fell Raph was almost disappointed, it had ended too soon for his liking. Stood amid the casualties, his chest heaving, it took a few moments for the pain to register from the many wounds he had received in the skirmish. He saw Leo looking him up and down as he approached, the natives following hesitantly behind him.

Holding his arms out in front of himself to make his own appraisal of the damage done, Raph didn't see anything he considered to be a concern. A few shards of wood embedded in his left arm, a dozen or so small cuts and bruises; he doubted he would even need any stitches.  
"We have a long way to go yet." cautioned Leo, seeing his brothers' impudent smirk. "You ok to keep on with this?"  
"Heck yeah, I'm just gettin' warmed up." assured Raph, his grin predatory. Leo gave a curt nod in reply. He wasn't surprised at all that the villagers kept their distance from his brother as the two of them led the way out of the compound.

Taking stock of the number of men Don and Mike had felled, Leo congratulated them on a job well done as the natives mingled together about them.  
"It seems we've cleared the whole mine of guards Leo." said Don. "However, there is still quite a large force to be reckoned with down in those other buildings, and on the ships. It's clear they've realised something is afoot, though I don't know if the vessel moored out in the bay has been alerted yet. I believe they've started setting up defences amid the buildings, snipers up on the roofs and the like. It's hard to see all that clearly from here, but it will pay for us to approach the next engagement cautiously." he advised.

"Thanks Don." smiled Leo. "Any ideas yet regarding getting the villagers off this island?"  
"If we can gain control of that docked vessel, we might be able to sneak past the other patrol ships." suggested Don. "I doubt the ones patrolling at sea know the mine has been infiltrated, so they should have no reason to attack one of their own fleet. We'll just have to be cautious about being spotted on deck, perhaps see if we can acquire some clothes to disguise ourselves. It won't be easy with only the four of us to man her sails. And she is square rigged, so it's a bit of a different set-up to the Halcon del Mare. But I'm confident we could at least get her moving. And if our ruse works then speed won't be a major concern."

"I man ship." put in one of the older slaves nearby, nodding vigorously to back up his claim.  
"I know how to man a vessel such as that as well." assured the younger slave that had interpreted for Leo previously, as he stepped out of the crowd to join the turtles. "And there are at least ten more of us that also have experience working on the white man ships. Get us on that boat and we'll have her underway in no time." he grinned with pride.

Leo gave the young villager a smile in gratitude.  
"That's good to know, thank you." he invited the young man into their discussion with a sweep of his hand as he turned back to his brainy brother. "What about the other ship? Surely they'll realise something is amiss."  
"Hmmm..." Don rubbed his chin in thought. "If we could scuttle it somehow, it should remove it as a threat. Hopefully without alerting the other patrol ships..."

As Don fell into silent contemplation, staring out at the ship in the bay, Leo decided it was enough of a plan to give them something to work towards; even if the details were still a little sketchy.  
"We work in pairs." he instructed. "Raph; you're with me. We'll start on the North side. Don; you and Mike start on the South. Nothing fancy, keep it stealthy to start off with. Confusion and fear will do more to help us overcome their numbers than a straight assault could. Leave the buildings intact; Iago needs evidence this place exists. Keep that in mind. Also, stay on the look-out for anything that may help us to..."

"What about us?" interrupted the villager.  
"Keep all of your people within the walls of the mine enclosure for now, until we have secured the rest of the buildings and the vessel."  
"But...?"  
"We work better alone." stated Leo bluntly. "Use this time to free as many people from their chains as you can, and to gather supplies for your journey. I want everyone on that ship and sailing home as soon as possible."

------ ------

The camp Commandant was a wiry man in his fifties. His men had reported to him that there was a disturbance within the mine, but he'd continued with his work updating the operations' log books. He was confident that his men could easily defeat any uprising attempted by the slaves. Despite the sporadic gunshots ringing out, he expected the next report he received to be to that effect. He didn't bother to look up as he heard the door to his office swing open.

The loud slam of it being shut again a few moments later got his attention. He scowled at the sorry looking collection of men huddling in the centre of his large office, most with guns at the ready, all glancing nervously at the windows. Being on the second floor there was little to be seen through the thick glass, other than the glimmer of the lights from the ship moored out in the bay. Slamming closed the heavy book he had been working on caused all the guards to jump, many of them starting to blabber something about ghosts or demons. Whatever it was, with them all trying to talk at once, their meaning was completely lost to the Commandant.

"SILENCE!" he barked, the command obeyed immediately. Eyeing the group with disdain, the Commandant took his time to toss another log onto the fire burning in the hearth behind him and settle himself back in his chair. He was disgusted by the way some of them were visibly shaking before he'd gotten himself comfortable to his satisfaction.  
"Arturo; report." ordered the Commandant brusquely.

Arturo hesitantly stepped forward, glancing back over his shoulder to ensure he wasn't leaving the safety of the gang too far behind and defensively bringing his pistol up higher.  
"Th...the slaves. They have set a...a _curse_ upon us! I think we're the last ones left. We have to get out of here!"  
"It's true!" asserted another guard as the Commandant gave them a sceptical look. "Perro was right behind me when he just...just _vanished_ without a sound! When I retraced my steps I found him hidden in the shadows; dead! I swear I never heard a thing, but _something_ moved in the dark and I ran for my life!"

"I saw it!" piped up a third guard. "I only got a glimpse of it through the cook-house window as it attacked three of our men on the roof of the barracks. It was fast, and it definitely wasn't a man."  
"What makes you say that?" asked the Commandant.  
"It was short..., 'rounded' in a way. And it was...green!" explained the guard, quickly cringing under the incredulous glares he received from some of his comrades as well as his boss.

"Hmpf!" the Commandant shook his head in reproach. "You fools. You've all let the superstitious nonsense from the slaves get to you. It's nothing but a few men disguised somehow. How many are there? How heavily are they armed?"  
"Uhhh..." stalled Arturo as everyone in his group looked to him to explain the situation. "I think there must be at least, uh, a dozen. Perhaps more! And I, uh, I don't think they, um, have any guns. But..."  
"What?" dead-panned the Commandant, a dire note in his tone. "Why are you all cowering in here like a mob of frightened women if they don't even have any decent weapons? Get out of here, out of my sight! And don't come back without the heads of these intruders!"

Not one of the guards moved despite the Commandant thumping his desk with his balled fist to underscore his order. With a menacing glower he slowly rose from his chair, distracted from advancing on his underlings by the sound of something skittering down the chimney to land in the fire. An instant later smoke bellowed from the hearth, quickly filling the room. Unable to see clearly, the Commandant backed up as he heard glass breaking. He fell over his chair as one of his men screamed, the sound ending abruptly. There were a few dull thuds then, silence; apart from the heartbeat that pounded loudly in his ears as he trembled under his desk.

The breeze from the now broken windows started to swiftly dissipate the smoke. The Commandant sincerely wished it hadn't as it revealed a pair of green legs approaching his hiding place. The glide of the muscles under the taut skin made it obvious the colouration wasn't a costume, or painted on. He heard the 'thunk' of the large book that still sat on his desk being opened, and flinched away as he realised the feet now close beside him each ended in only two toes. He couldn't help but stare at the oddity.  
"Look at this Leo; it's the financial records for this place. If Iago needs evidence, then this would certainly be of some use to him."  
"That's great Don. We'll take it with us."

The Commandant jumped, not realising the second creature was crouched by his toppled chair until he'd heard its' voice. Nor that it held a long blade, the likes of which the man had never seen before, the sharp tip perilously close to his throat.  
"Howdy." drawled the creature, its' smile cold. The man didn't move a muscle, unsure of the meaning of the phrase. "Get up." the creature ordered, its' smile gone. The sword was withdrawn enough to allow the man to comply, never enough to remove its' threat.

Cautiously rising to stand with his hands up in surrender, the Commandant glanced about his office to see two more of the creatures scowling at him. All of his men were laying haphazardly on the floor, at least a few merely unconscious. That realisation gave him some hope he might get out of this alive.

"You were responsible for the running of this operation?" It was more a statement than a query from the one with the sword, but the man nodded his response regardless. The creatures' mouth quirked in disgust,  
"I'll give you a choice..."  
"Don't you dare let him get away with this Leo." butt in one from the other end of the room.  
"Of course I won't Raph." scowled Leo in reply, his eyes never leaving those of his captive. "But I won't allow our honour to be stained by sinking to his level either."

"Your choice." continued the creature, clearly addressing the Commandant once more. "Face justice at the hands of those you enslaved, or by your own." The thought of trying to bribe his way out briefly flickered through the man's mind, to be dismissed under the level stares from the four. Taking a moment to weigh up his options, the raucous sounds of shouting and celebration from a large mob approaching his building made him settle on his decision.

Moving slowly the Commandant reached behind himself to open a drawer in his desk, retrieving a small pistol. It felt unusually heavy in his hand, and the idea of using the weapon against his foes played in his mind. Then he remembered that not one of the guards that had been attacked in front of him had managed to get off a shot. Perhaps these things were demons of some kind? Whatever they were, it no longer mattered...

------ ------

"I told you to keep your people back for now!" scolded Leo. He had to raise his voice to be heard as he pushed through the throng of freed slaves, to grab the villager he had spoken to earlier by the shoulder.  
"They want their revenge, they deserve it. I couldn't stop them." the young man explained simply. Leo glared around at the large mob, many holding lit torches and none of them silent. Not bothering to compete with the ruckus, Leo used a hand signal to order Raph and Mike to put a stop to a large group of villagers intent on beating one of the guards that had regained consciousness. It was obvious they weren't going to be content with merely hurting the man, nor with making his end a quick one.

Indicating to Don to follow him, Leo ran down to the jetty. The docked vessel was already being over-run by villagers, the two brothers watching in dismay as the remains of the few guards that had been on-board were flung into the water. Wanting to make the most of the situation, Leo and Don started to encourage the crowd to move onto the boat even faster, before they could do any damage to the settlement itself; and in the hope of getting past the patrol ships before they were alerted. The rigging on the vessel moored out in the bay was starting to crawl with men as Don pointed out a dinghy that was approaching the shore from it.

"Any thoughts yet on how to...?" Leo petered out, realising Don was no longer beside him. Instead his genius brother was already ransacking a shed built a short way up the shore. He emerged holding an odd looking tool, a hefty drill bit fitted with a manual crank.  
"I have an idea. I don't know if it'll work, but I will need someone to help." said Don. Not wasting time asking for a better explanation, his trust in his brothers' plan absolute regardless, Leo nodded.  
"Take Raph. Mike and I will help get the rest of the natives on-board." the leader offered, readily accepting the satchel Don was using to carry the heavy log book.

The two sailors in the dinghy had seen enough to know the slaves had somehow escaped. Turning their small boat about they tried to return swiftly to their vessel, the trip seeming to drag in their haste to return. Neither of them noticed the two dark forms that shot away under the water from beneath their dinghy as they pulled-up alongside the ship. Just as none of the other sailors helping the two back on-board paid any heed to the additional small ripples coming from near the bow.

Raph dug his shuko claws into the thick beam of wood that formed the keel of the vessel, bracing himself so that Don could lean into him to drive the drill bit into the planks of the hull, as close to the keel as he could. Working on the waterlogged timber just below the water-line required an incredible effort. Don almost despaired that he didn't have the strength to force the metal to turn one more time, before he was jerked forward by the sudden surge of water into the small gap surrounding the metal shaft as the bit finally punched through. It was a struggle for him to pull the drill back out against the flow.

Gritting his teeth and putting the protests of his aching muscles out of his mind, Don started work on a second hole in the same plank, just below the first. Raph spat out a mouthful of salt-water as the ship started to move through the water, the wake from his shell quickly spilling over his shoulders.  
"I think we need bigger holes Donnie!" he called above the mounting rush of the water. Don nodded, actually grateful the pressure from their passage was aiding his efforts to drive the drill home.  
"I know!" he managed to gasp. "My plan is to..." A wave breaking over their heads cut him off. It didn't daunt his efforts with the drill, however. Shaking the water from his head, he continued speaking a few moments later. "We have to be cautious, but if I can weaken th...OMPH!" With a sharp crack the plank gave way, breaking near the keel to spring back straight, catching Don in the chest and tossing both turtles a short distance away.

The sudden drag on the vessel caused it to swerve to the side, toward the two brothers. Winded by the blow, Don was caught in the current running alongside the ship, Raph quick to catch him and keep him afloat. The force of the water surging past the broken plank soon tore it further, causing more damage to the hull and snapping off a section of splintered wood that sluiced close by Raphs' head as he struggled to keep a grip on Don.

It was only a matter of moments before the ship started to list forward. On-board, sailors raced to and fro in panic. A young crewman, making the dash up from the rapidly flooding lower decks, slipped and fell on the sudden tilt of the gun deck. Panicking to regain his feet, as the first wave splashed through the forward cannon port, he accidentally lost his grip on the lantern he'd been carrying, tossing it into the air. The oil from it splattered in an arc, up into the eyes of another crewman stood by a large, sturdy cupboard he had been closing. The cupboard door swung open again as the man staggered backwards; hindered in rubbing his eyes clear by the small, cloth bag he held.

He succeeded in regaining his vision a moment later, to be horrified as he noticed the lantern itself had hit the deck nearby. The remaining oil immediately set a small blaze burning on the wooden floorboards. The doused crewman breathed a sigh of relief as he realised the flame wasn't near the spill leading to him, until the growing pitch of the vessel caused the wreckage of the lantern to slide. Three other sailors all made a leap to stop the disaster unfolding; two butting heads in the process and the third missed catching it by a hairs' breadth.

Within an instant of the burning lantern crossing the spill, flame raced along the floor and up the front of the doused sailors' clothes. Flailing to put himself out, he accidentally threw the bag he was holding. It came open as it flew, the gritty black dust it contained scattering everywhere to explode with a sound like mini-firecrackers wherever it fell into the flames, rapidly spreading the fire further.

The crew-men remaining on the gun deck all scrambled for the narrow stair leading out onto the open main deck above, a few getting trampled in the crush. The rising water was already starting to extinguish some of the blaze as the sailor with the burning clothes lost his footing and toppled sideways into the open cupboard. The explosion as the ships entire store of gun-powder ignited was enough to punch a ragged hole in the deck above, throwing bits of burning debris up into the sails and setting parts of the main deck and superstructure ablaze.

From the main deck of the other boat, Leo and Mike watched in horror as the ship approaching them quickly became a bon-fire that lit up the night sky, even as most of the vessel itself sank beneath the waves. The doomed ship had made it far enough into the shallows that it stopped sinking with its' main deck only a few feet below the water, leaving the masts, sails and the smaller fore and aft decks still burning above the surface.

"I don't think that was Donnies' plan." whispered Mike in shock. Leo didn't bother with an answer, focused on scouring the surrounding water for any sign of his brothers. "You don't think they're...?" Mike cringed after a moment.  
"No." answered Leo flatly, despite his own fears.  
"Ayotl!" interrupted the villager who had become the turtles' interpreter. "That will surely bring the other ships. We are ready to cast off. We need to leave now, if we are to have any chance of out-running them!"

His jaw set in a grim line Leo considered the situation for a moment, before giving a reluctant nod.


	8. Chapter 8

A/N: Many heartfelt thanks to artykidd (for the review, too!) and CPQ for their great work beta-reading this story.

DISCLAIMER: I don't own the TMNT, or any related characters (much to their relief, I'm sure!) If there is anything else in this story you recognise from somewhere else, then I don't own that either.

------- -------

Tau stood on the beach, watching the turtles swim away. She was determined that she would not shed a tear. Why should she? This was what they did, and it was only a reconnaissance mission at that. Nothing as dangerous as some of the other stuff her friends had been involved with before. So what was there really for her to worry about? Still, she couldn't suppress a shiver of her shoulders that had little to do with the evening breeze.

"Here, my Lady." offered Iago, making Tau start as she realised he was already wrapping his jacket about her.  
"Oh! Um..., thank you." she murmured uncertainly, feeling it was too late to refuse the gesture and somewhat grateful for it anyway. Though she silently cursed herself as she looked back out over the ocean and realised she'd lost sight of the turtles altogether.

"It is clear they are experienced warriors. I am sure you have no need to fear for their well-being." Iago assured warmly, moving to fit his arm snugly about her shoulders as well. Tau shrugged him off and took a quick step away, eyeing him warily as she wondered if she had let her foolish pride get her into serious trouble this time.  
"I know they'll be fine." she stated haughtily.  
"I meant no offence." the Captain gave a charming smile. "We probably have quite some time to wait. Would you care to join us, share some stories or songs perhaps?" he invited her with a sweep of his hand towards a small fire on the beach; most of his crew seated around it in muted conversation.

Running her fingertips over the smooth metal hidden in the pocket of her jeans, curious to know just what it was, Tau shook her head.  
"I need a little private time first. You know, behind the trees." she grinned sheepishly, trying to fake a blush.  
"Oh." Iago nodded in understanding. "But of course. Do not stray too far; you never can know what is skulking in the shadows. I will be waiting for you." he assured, offering her a bow and a wink as he stepped away towards his crew. Tau kept her brittle grin in place until he had turned his back. Then she quickly made her way into the deep gloom beneath the trees, tugging his jacket on to wear it properly and having to roll up the sleeves of it to free her hands.

The going was very steep. Tau ignored Iagos' advice and scrambled up to the top of the ridge. Stood on the narrow back-bone of the island, the peak of the small mountain still rising to her right, she managed to find a gap in the dense canopy that allowed more of the starlight to filter through the trees.

Fishing out the object Leo had surreptitiously given her, Tau turned it over in her hands. It looked a bit like an elongated, metal cigarette lighter. However, instead of a flint at one end, there was a hinge. An undulating line from the joint, running up the centre of the wider face on each side, was the only marking on the thing.

Unsure what else to do, Tau tried to pull the two halves apart. They moved with ease, revealing a thin blade within; one edge and the tip wickedly sharp. The two sections of the outer casing met end-to-end; a 'click' she felt rather than heard securing them in place. Tau stared at the 'T' shaped weapon in her hand in disbelief. _Leo_ had given her this?

She had seen a few like it before, none of which were as well crafted or concealable. As far as she knew this was a dishonourable weapon, often crudely made with an immobile wooden handle and a blade that was little more than a sharpened pick. It was a punch dagger, designed to be concealed in the palm with only the tip of the blade protruding between the fingers.

Fitting the weapon to her own hand, Tau realised why the join between the two halves of the casing wasn't straight. The wave in the metal helped to mould the handle to her grip a little better. Though it was obvious it had been made to fit someone with only two, much larger fingers.

Being very cautious regarding the sharp edge of the blade, she spent a few minutes practicing opening and fitting the weapon to her hand as quickly and discretely as she could. Then she performed a few mock-punches with it in place. The blade only protruded a short distance from her fist, a touch over an inch. It was all that was needed to turn a fight. A well placed blow, an opponent that didn't suspect she was armed, and Tau knew she could possibly kill somebody with the weapon. That thought sent a chill down her spine. It certainly wasn't a particularly honourable proposition. However, if she did suddenly find herself facing off against a group of sturdy men, surely they would deserve anything she could dish-out for ganging up on a seemingly defenceless girl?

Staring at the metal, glinting coldly in her palm, Tau contemplated the paradox it represented. Despite his training in ninjutsu, Leo often spoke of Bushido and honour. But, no Samurai would carry a dagger such as this. Then again, Samurai traditionally looked down upon most weapons other than the Daisho and bow. Even Leos' use of twin katana would have been frowned upon by most. Yet she considered the turtles to be among the most honourable and decent guys she knew. However, it seemed there was room in Leos' interpretation of Bushido for underhanded tactics, if the need arose. Tau wondered why she was surprised at that, he _was_ a ninja. Spy. Saboteur. Assassin. Just like his brothers...

Tau found it strange that she'd never really thought of the turtles as killers before, the concept seemed foreign to her somehow. But then, how could they not be, with the battles they had fought?

Shaking herself out of her reverie, she closed the dagger and made her way back down to the beach.  
"My Lady, I was growing concerned! I was about to set out with the crew out to find you." fussed Iago as Tau knelt between him and Amadika, leaving as large a gap between herself and the Spaniard as she could. On the opposite side of the fire Nataniel sat stone-faced, whilst Edgardo scowled at the notion he'd be expected to help look for her.  
"Sorry." offered Tau, with a smile that was more a grimace. However dishonourable a weapon it might be, she felt comforted by the touch of the smooth metal hidden up the sleeve of the jacket she wore.

-------- --------

Almost three hours had elapsed since the turtles had gone. The crew had whiled the time away telling stories, Iago doing most of the talking, and listening to Amadika sing quietly in her own native-African tongue. Tau hadn't understood the lyrics at all, and suspected the rest of the crew didn't either. She had been surprised to find the scrawny old woman's voice was quite captivating regardless.

Now Amadika had left to check on Kirabo and Alejandro, the two boys still keeping watch from the islands' peak. Tau was quick to excuse herself from the company of the men as well, taking a walk down the beach in order to see the cove entrance past the hull of the Halcon del Mare. The knot of anxiety she felt for her friends growing tighter in her gut.

Fishing her Shell-cell out of her pocket, Tau cursed quietly as she looked at the back-lit screen. Of course, it still showed a lack of signal. It also confirmed just how much time had passed, much less than she had assumed. She figured she probably shouldn't be too worried, yet. Still, she had to release her lip from between her teeth in order to start chewing on her fingernails instead.

"That is an unsightly habit." berated Iago lightly, right behind her ear, a cheeky note to his voice. Tau jumped so badly in surprise the dagger almost flew out of her sleeve. She managed to catch it, quickly tucking her hand next to her hip to conceal it.

"Forgive me, I did not mean to startle you." he assured with a grin, in the face of the irate glare she shot him over her shoulder. As Tau turned back to her watch of the ocean, she took the opportunity to quickly scope the rest of the beach; relieved to note Edgardo and Nataniel were still seated by the fire.

A minute passed as Tau stood taut, nerves stretched for any sign or sense of movement from the man behind her. Iago softly broke the quiet,  
"She is beautiful, isn't she?"  
"Who?" asked Tau, baffled.  
"The Halcon del Mare." he replied simply, as if he were stating the obvious. "She may not be a large ship, but she can fair fly across the water with the wind in her sails. And she can turn on a pin. I know there are many other Captains that covet her." he said with quiet pride.

"Oh. Uh..., yeah I guess she is a nice ship." agreed Tau uncertainly. He surely couldn't think she was stood here staring at his boat rather than looking for the return of the turtles, could he?  
"She's almost a beautiful as a fine Lady." Iago breathed by her ear, continuing a little louder again before Tau could retort. "I gained her in return for losing the first woman I ever loved. My Lady was true to me, until someone with better prospects came along. Still, she loved me enough to grant me a small vessel from her new husbands' fleet in farewell. I suppose I have always been grateful for that. It would have taken me many a year to gain a ship of my own otherwise." he admitted with a sigh. Tau gave him a crooked smile in sympathy over her shoulder. Unsure what to say she lingered a moment, Iago giving her a fond smile in return, before returning to her watch.

"Have you given my proposition anymore thought?" he queried casually. Tau almost gasped at his audacity.  
"No." she replied shortly. "I thought you said that was a 'misunderstanding'?" she pointed out with a note of sarcasm.  
"Heh heh, no." chuckled Iago. "I was concerned that you feared I was intending to take advantage of you last night, and that was why you did not return. Banish the thought; I am a Gentleman, not a beast! However, that does not mean I will pass over an opportunity to perhaps change your mind...?"

"You won't." Tau asserted flatly.  
"Why not?" he asked, his tone innocent. Tau considered her answer for a moment before frowning at him over her shoulder.  
"It doesn't bother you at all that we'd only have a few days together, at most?" she demanded. Iago gave a beguiling grin.  
"No. Why should it? If you are waiting for a man who will commit for a lifetime, I fear you will be bitterly disappointed. You may find those that are willing to promise such a thing. However, delivering on it is an entirely different matter. You can never know if, or rather when, a lover may be stolen away from you. By circumstance, sickness, war, another lover..."  
"I know that. I'm not _that_ naive!" scowled Tau.  
"Well then, surely it's not so bad if a relationship has a finite end?" Iago reasoned. "I've found it is much easier to cope with than a termination that is unexpected." Silence fell, Tau intent on watching the ocean again as she chewed her lip.

"I have a 'French letter', does that ease your concern?" he queried nonchalantly, after a couple of minutes. Tau had to think for a moment before she realised what he meant. She decided not to dignify his question with a response once she had, her cheeks taking on a rosy hue despite her haughtily lifting her chin to pointedly look away from him.

"Is it your Father then? Do you want his approval? I doubt any Gentleman of repute would be accepting of a green suitor for his daughter. At least with me..." he pressed quietly, Tau quick-stepped away as she felt his fingertips brush her hips. She turned on him with a level glower.  
"My Father has absolutely _nothing_ to do with it. Why would you even think that? You don't know him at all." she challenged. Iago shrugged.  
"Many maidens are anxious for their Fathers' approval." he explained calmly. "Until they realise that following their own desires can lead to much greater happiness." his smile alluring as he reached to brush a stray strand of her hair away from her face.

Tau was about to flinch from his gesture when she was distracted by a commotion back at the camp-fire. She just knew something was wrong from the look on Nataniels' face as he approached, her concern for the turtles leaving her too numb to care about Iagos' touch on her cheek.  
"Captain! Fire has been sighted on the horizon, North-North-West of here." reported the First Mate. "I'd say it is the signal from the turtles, they can't swim back. Shall we get underway, go to their aid?"

Iago slowly stroked his goatee, deep in thought.  
"Iago, please?" Tau begged. "If they are in trouble..." she petered out. She didn't want to dwell on that notion, and couldn't understand why the Captain was taking the time to do so. Iago eyed her in consideration for a moment. Then he smiled warmly, gently but firmly cupping her cheek. Not wanting to put him off-side, and possibly jeopardise her chances of going after the turtles, she fought the urge to pull away. To her surprise, he then swiftly leaned forward to touch a light kiss to her forehead.  
"For you, my Lady? Anything." he asserted, capturing her eye with a brief, heated look. Leaving Tau stunned, and wondering if she had just been ensnared in some sort of deal, Iago and the crew had doused the fire and were boarding the dinghy to return to the ship before Tau managed to gather her wits enough to join them.

She stood at the prow as the Halcon del Mare got underway, gasping in dismay as the vessel left the shelter of the cove to reveal the bright orange glow on the horizon.  
"Your friends certainly don't seem to know the meaning of 'subtle', if that is meant to be a signal." commented Iago, coming up behind her to appraise the situation for himself.  
"They're dead alright." Edgardo added with certainty, as he tied off a rope nearby. The old man started to whistle as he walked off down the deck.

"I... No! They...they can't be!" flustered Tau, tears threatening. Iago wrapped a consoling arm about her shoulders, Tau too distraught to bother shrugging him off.  
"We will find your friends, no matter what. You have my word on that." he pledged sincerely. In nervous gratitude, Tau attempted to smile up at him. Iago crooked a finger under her chin, gently holding her in place as he perused her features for a long moment.

He leaned close enough that Tau thought he was about to kiss her, and she realised she had no-where to retreat to unless she rudely broke out of his hold about her shoulders. Even if she did pull away, where could she go? This was _his_ ship. Instead, he murmured;  
"It breaks my heart to see you cry."

The sudden lump in her throat preventing her from saying anything, Tau didn't resist as he guided her head onto his chest. Distressed, confused and with no-where else to turn, Tau lost her battle to hold back her sobs. Gripping the front of Iagos' shirt, she hid her tears against the material as he held her in his arms.

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"No way!" cried Mike. "We can't just up an' leave Leo! What about Donnie an' Raph? What if they're...hurt, or whatever? I'm not leaving 'till I know they're ok." he declared, crossing his arms and stubbornly planting his feet square.  
"Good." replied Leo, unruffled. "Because you're staying here. Take the dinghy from this ship, find our brothers Mike. Hide with them on the island. I'll do what I can to aid the natives in getting past the other patrol ships. Once they are safe, I'll come back for you."  
"How? And what about Tau?" Mike argued.  
"I'll find a way." assured Leo, turning to lead the way to the dinghy.  
"An' Tau? How's she gonna know where to find us, huh?" pressed Mike, jogging after his brother.

Leo didn't answer. He reached the small boat lashed down on the deck and swiftly began loosening it from its bonds.  
"Huh, Leo? Huh?" Mikes' voice rose as he continued with his pressuring, even as he helped with his brothers' task.  
"Tau is our responsibility too, but family comes first. Alright?" Leo asserted with a scowl. "If we get a choice, we won't leave until we find her again; I'll promise you that. What she decides to do then will be up to her."

Glancing between Leo and the burning wreck out in the bay, Mike decided now wasn't the best time to bicker. The natives had already gotten the ship they were on moving; the longer it took them to launch the dinghy, the further Mike would have to row in order to search for his two missing brothers.

As they lowered the small boat over the side, Mike spotted the silhouettes of two large, square-rigged vessels approaching the bay from the North, one a fair bit closer than the other. It was difficult to pick out any details in the meagre starlight, but he was certain they were a couple of the patrol ships coming to investigate.

Mike turned to his brother, clasping Leos' arm as he found himself momentarily lost for words.  
"I'll be fine." assured Leo, returning the gesture. "Just keep yourself and our brothers safe for me, ok?"  
"'k." Mike gave a weak nod then pulled Leo into a quick hug before he vaulted the railing into the waiting dinghy below.

Leo threw off the tie-rope and the large ship quickly pulled away from the dinghy, leaving the tiny boat bobbing in its' wake. Mike struggled with the oars, clumsy in his haste and worry. Somehow he finally managed to get the dinghy fairly close to the burning wreck, straining his neck as he frantically searched the surrounding water.

It didn't help that many of the sailors from the sunken ship were still floating or splashing about nearby, some swimming towards him. One fellow managed to grab the front of the dinghy, quick to begin pulling himself aboard. Mike reached for his 'chuck, uncertain if he should use it under the circumstances. With half his body hauled out of the ocean, the sailor flicked the water out of his eyes to get a good look at the turtle. He gaped in shock for a moment before hurriedly dropping back into the waves and swimming away.

Mike couldn't help a pout at the man's reaction to seeing him. He tried to put it out of his mind with the thought that at least it had saved him from having to toss the guy out of the boat. Finally he caught a glimpse of a familiar weapon, starlight glinting off its' metal as it was waved above the swell. As quickly as he could, Mike rowed over to his brothers.  
"'bout time you got here!" grumbled Raph sarcastically, as the dinghy pulled alongside him. Mikes' grin of relief and retort died on his lips as he realised Raph was supporting Don, his purple-clad brother floating limply.

It took a lot of effort to haul the semi-conscious turtle from the water, but Raph and Mike finally got Don into the dinghy and propped him up to sit against the side. Mike helped to support his wounded brothers' head, squeezing his hand in comfort whenever Don tensed or hissed as Raph ran his fingers over the wide, dark welt spanning the top half of his plastron, the bruising extending further down Dons' sides.

"I'm not sure if anything is broken." surmised Raph uncertainly. "A coupla cracked ribs..., maybe?"  
"Will he be ok, d'ya think?" asked Mike, worry etched on his face.  
"Dunno." Raph bluntly admitted. Not surprisingly, his candour did nothing to alleviate Mikes' concern. Don smiled weakly, managing to focus his gaze on his brothers for a moment.  
"I'll be fine..., really." he rasped in assurance. The two knelt over him shared a sceptical look.  
"You just rest Donnie." Mike soothed, pulling off one of his knee-pads; using it as a make-shift pillow for his brothers' head. "We'll get you somewhere safe you can heal up, ok?"

"Where's Leo?" asked Raph, shifting to take up an oar.  
"On the boat with the villagers, making sure they escape." explained Mike, pointing his thumb over his shoulder in the general direction the larger ship had been headed in as he continued to try to make Don comfortable.  
"What?" Raph snapped. "That _moron_! An' _he's_ the one that's always sayin' we should stick togeth... Oh, shell."

Mike whipped his head around. He'd expected Raph to be annoyed with Leos' decision, the curt tone his brother had started with hadn't fazed him at all. It was the quietly spoken, non-offensive curse that really caught his attention.

The vessel the villagers had commandeered was quite some distance away. However, it was clear to see the cannon turrets protruding from her sides, as well as those on the three ships that were closing in on her. The third had rounded the headland to the south of the bay since Mike had started his search for his brothers. Of the two approaching from the north, one was close enough to be pulling along-side the ship Leo was aboard, though no shots had been fired as yet.

"We gotta get our butts over there!" exclaimed Raph, yanking Mike up onto the bench spaning the mid-point of the dinghy and shoving the other oar forcibly into his hands.  
"What about Donnie? He's in no shape to fight!" Mike quibbled. "I promised Leo I'd get you both safely back to land. He'll come back...he has to!" he tried to convince himself as well as his brother as he fumbled to get the end of his paddle into the water.

Raph hesitated a moment, frustrated as he tried to clear his head and figure out which course of action to take. Leo always seemed to know the odds, which risks to take to make sure they all managed to scrape though ok. His thoughts were interrupted by a short series of loud explosions and the sound of splintering wood as part of the rear section of Leos' ship disintegrated. The trio shared a brief look of shock. No words needed, Don managed to nod his encouragement as both Raph and Mike started to row towards the wounded vessel.

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A/N: Today's' bit o' info you didn't want to know; 'French letter' is slang for 'condom'. I had a good hunt around the net for other terms that the Spanish may have used in this time period, but this was the only one I could find that was used prior to them actually being called 'condoms'. Considering the term 'condom' was only just starting to be used by the European aristocracy in the early 1600's I doubt any pirate in the Caribbean would have used that word. However, 'French letter' was in common use by the English Navy at the time, so I figured the Spanish sea-farers would probably use similar terminology.


	9. Chapter 9

A/N: Apologies for the lateness of this chapter. I know I promised it a bit earlier than this to a couple of people and I do feel rotten for not posting it sooner. Unfortunately a string of darn migraines set me a different agenda.

I owe artykidd a huge thank-you for ironing out some wrinkles in this chapter for me. You do a fantastic job of beta-reading my work chica. -hugs-

I also feel indebted to RAPHAELFAN02 for her inspirational review last chapter. That's the kind of feedback that keeps me up until the small hours getting the rest of this series written and posted in something akin to a timely manner. Thank you so very much. -bows-

There are a few words relating to ships and the like in this chapter that may be a bit unfamiliar to some. Here are a few definitions you may find useful (c/o Wikipedia for the most part);

**Rigging** - the mechanical sailing apparatus attached to the hull in order to move the boat as a whole. This includes cordage (ropes attached to the spars and sails in order to manipulate their position and shape), sails (aerofoils, usually made of fabric, used to catch the wind), and spars (masts and other solid objects sails are attached to). Cordage is more usually the term for stocks of rope, yarn, or other types line in storage, before it has been put to some use in a vessel, whereafter is commonly referred to as the rigging. In this story 'rigging' most often refers to the ropes.

**Crows' Nest** - a structure in the upper part of the mainmast of a ship that is used as a lookout point.

**Mast** - a tall vertical pole which supports the sails. Larger ships have several masts, with the size and configuration depending on the style of ship.

**Spar** - a round pole of wood used on a sailing ship. In modern usage it almost always refers to the mast, but historically the term was also used for booms, gaffs, yards, etc. In this story it refers to poles used in the rigging that are set horizontally. As differentiated from a 'mast' that is vertical.

**Bowsprit - **a pole extending forward from the vessel's prow. On large tall ships the bowsprit may be a considerable length and have several foresails attached. When not in use the foresails are stowed by being tied onto the bowsprit. The crew must then work out on the bowsprit to stow or prepare the sails. To minimise the risk of the bowsprit (and any crew working on it) being buried in large waves, the bowsprit is normally angled upwards from the horizontal.

**Deck** - a permanent covering over a compartment or a hull of a ship. On a ship, the primary (main) deck is the horizontal structure which forms the 'roof' for the hull, which both strengthens the hull and serves as the primary working surface. Vessels often have more than one level both within the hull and in the superstructure above the primary deck which are similar to the floors of a multi-story building, and which are also referred to as decks, as are specific compartments and decks built over specific areas of the superstructure.

**Gun-deck** - originally referred to a deck aboard a ship that was primarily used for the mounting of cannon to be fired in broadsides. However, on many smaller vessels the upper decks bore all of the cannons but were not referred to as the gun deck. The completely covered level under the upper deck was, however, still called the gun deck although it had no guns at all.

**Galley **- ships' kitchen.

**Prow** - the fore part of a ship, the stem and its surrounding parts. It is often depicted in movies with a carved figurehead in the form of a mermaid or other similar figure.

**Hull** - the body of a ship.

**Superstructure** - In engineering, superstructure refers to parts of a construction that project above a baseline: in shipbuilding, above the main deck.

**Fore** - towards the front.

**Aft / Stern** - towards the rear. The stern area has always been the location near the steering apparatus (rudder, tiller, ship's wheel, etc), and by extension became the domain of the ship's captain and other officers. In particular, the stern was the location of the officers' quarters during the age of sail.

**Spy-glass** - an antiquated telescope.

DISCLAIMER: I don't own the TMNT, or any related characters (much to their relief, I'm sure!) If there is anything else in this story you recognise from somewhere else, then I don't own that either.

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Leo kept a watch on Mike for a moment after the launch of the dinghy, until the villager who acted as his interpreter deferentially caught his attention.  
"Ayotl?" the young man half-bowed. "Our cannons are manned, should I order them to fire as soon as a ship is in range?" Glancing about, Leo masked his despair as the prow of a third enemy vessel came into sight around the headland to the south. The ships approaching from the north were already starting to bristle, hatches opening down each side of them, the barrels of canons being pushed through the ports. However, the closest ship was running up a series of flags into the rigging on its' fore-most mast; the first pennant white.

"No." replied Leo. "Have them ready the guns, just as the other ships have done. But, do not fire until I give the order. I only want as many people up on-deck and visible as we need to sail the ship, and have them all dressed in whatever European clothes we can find. Send everyone else down below." he trailed over his shoulder, already leading the way into the Captains' cabin to scavenge clothes to disguise his crew and find a safe place to secure the log book from the mine. "Let's move quickly now, if we can fool that first ship into thinking we're their ally, we might just gain an advantage."

A few minutes later, as Leo had guessed, the first vessel did not fire upon them. It swung around, slowing to pass close by, heading in the opposite direction. From his hiding place in the crows' nest, Leo could hear the enemy Captain call out; asking what had transpired to result in one of their fleet catching alight. The villager who spoke fluent Spanish, whom Leo had promoted to 'Captain' of his ship, shouted out a brief tall tale in reply.

As the first mast of the enemy vessel came level with the mast Leo was perched upon, he gulped a breath and held it to distract himself from the dizzying drop below as he raced out along the narrow beam, leaping to land upon the passing spar of the patrol ship. Unable to predict the exact movement of each vessel upon the swell, Leo lost his footing slightly as he landed on the smooth wood. Quick to act, he managed to regain his balance by crouching to grab a handful of the rigging.

Not giving himself any time to think about his near-miss, Leo drew a katana. He sliced cleanly through the ropes supporting the canvas expanse of the sails as he ran along the top of the first mast. Using the speed he'd gained to give himself impetus, he leapt to the next mast to race along it, and then the next. Leo moved in a zigzag along the vessel so quickly that the first sail had barely finished crumpling to settle on the deck by the time he had completed his ruin of the final one.

He completed his sabotage none too soon, the enemy Captain quickly realising that he was speaking with a native rather than a Spaniard. As Leo made the leap back into the rigging on his own boat, he overheard the enemy Captain barking an order to open fire; the instructions getting confused and delayed by the ruckus caused by the sails collapsing onto the deck. Still, the crew of the patrol ship managed to rally and fire a few rounds just before the two vessels passed each other completely. Two cannonballs hit their mark; splintering the wood of the aft cabin wall, and taking a chunk out of the rear corner of Leos' ship respectively.

The natives all dropped to the deck as the enemy Captain and some of his crew fired their pistols at them as well. However, it wasn't long before they were out of range of the antiquated handguns. The enemy ship was crippled by the loss of her sails; unable to turn to use her cannon again, or to give chase, quickly falling well behind Leos' vessel.

Swinging down to the main deck himself, Leo was relieved to hear that only one of his native crew had been clipped by a bullet. A handful more of the villagers hiding in the lower decks had been injured by the cannon-strikes, but there had been no fatalities. And the damage to his ship wasn't enough to sink her, or even greatly impede her manoeuvrability. However, it was clear that the two enemy ships still closing in from either side were now readying to attack.

With the wind coming from the south, the ship that had rounded the island from that direction came surging towards Leos' vessel at great speed. At first he thought they had misjudged how fast his boat was moving, as it became obvious that the enemy ship was on a heading that would take it past the front of his boat. When he heard his 'Captain' issuing orders to turn his ship towards the north, Leo grabbed the young villager by the shoulder and demanded to know why.  
"They will sail past us like this." explained the 'Captain' urgently, holding one hand still to represent their own ship as he swept his other in a perpendicular line across the top of it, making a 'T' shape. "They can fire their guns at us. But we can't hit them with ours!"

Leo wasted no more time in helping the natives adjust the rigging to get his ship to turn. The canvas above his head billowed as the wind filled it, pushing his ship faster through the waves on a direct course towards the second enemy vessel. The pursuing ship, already moving up along-side, fired a volley from her guns; Leo giving a hasty order to return fire.

As he tried to squint through the resulting smoke-haze to appraise the damage done to both vessels during the exchange, Leo suddenly leapt back from the railing. The enemy ship had veered off-course, its' prow swinging about to aim directly towards him! The natives had only a few moments to shout a warning of the impending impact to those below deck, bullets already whining through the air from the enemy ship. A dull gleam running down the fast approaching prow made Leo realise it was reinforced with overlapping metal plates. The veneer of corrosion upon the metal and the dim star-light had worked together to camouflage the armour well against the wood of the hull.

The enemy ship rammed Leos' boat with a sickening 'crunch'. Using their greater speed and armour to their advantage, the enemy prow rode up over the side, splintering the railing and part of the main-deck of Leos' ship. Harpoons trailing rope sailed over the enemy prow first, one spearing a villagers' leg, binding the two vessels together. The manoeuvre effectively stalled both ships in the water, leaving them to drift with the tide.

An instant later a large mob of sailors followed, leaping onto the deck of Leos' ship. They launched a ferocious attack with short-swords, knives and pistols. The natives rallied valiantly, using whatever they could grab as weapons; broken planks, tools, knotted rope from the rigging, a few even swung short lengths of the chains they had previously been bound with.

In the midst of the melee, Leos' blades sang as he met the invaders head-on. However, he found himself hampered by the zeal of the natives. He had to be wary of them moving into the path of his cuts as they tried to swarm the enemy. No easy task when many of the villagers were dressed to look like those they fought, nor had any understanding of the techniques Leo was using.

Despite his best efforts, it was soon clear to Leo that the enemy crew were gaining the upper-hand in the battle. The sailors were obviously far more experienced in this style of skirmish, and the natives rapidly succumbed to fatigue as they pushed their already battered bodies to the limit. As a result the villagers fell quickly to their foes; the deck soon slick with blood, littered with the dead and injured.

To make matters worse, the second enemy ship was closing fast. She didn't ram Leos' vessel as the first had done. Instead she swept close alongside to allow some of her crew to leap across as reinforcements, swiftly sailing on to prevent being boarded herself. Despite Leos' shouted orders, and his ships' guns seemingly at the ready, only one cannonball was fired at the passing ship, to pass harmlessly over its' wake.

Desperately trying to think of a way to turn the battle in his favour, Leo dodged a bullet. He sidestepped, ducking to sweep the legs out from beneath a wiry sailor who had charged with both hands gripping a short-sword raised above his head. The sailor yelped as his impetus sent him flying over Leos' shell. The turtle swivelled as he rose again, the movement of his blades clean as he ended his sweep in a block, thwarting the knife of another enemy who had lunged toward him.

Three villagers launched themselves upon Leos' attacker, quickly downing the sailor with savage punches and kicks. Whilst the turtle was grateful for the help, he had been about to deliver the finishing blow himself, the intervention of the natives disrupting his focus.

Sensing another wearing a shirt and breeches racing toward him Leo turned, blade extended in a reflexive strike towards his adversaries' throat. His 'Captain' managed to skid to a halt barely an inch from impaling himself on the katana. Realising his mistake, Leo swiftly withdrew his sword with an apologetic smile. The 'Captain' offered a weak grin of his own before he ducked past to rejoin the fray.

With a quick shake of his head to clear it, Leo swept back into the battle himself. He found himself missing the quips and retorts he would usually expect to hear from his brothers; some helpful, most not. At least they were in a language Leo understood. Not that he ever needed many words for his kin to follow his strategy, even if his orders were selectively ignored. The clamour surrounding him now made the thought of attempting to organise a cohesive effort from the throng of natives laughable.

Leo swung himself up into the rigging in order to survey more of the melee on the deck, hoping to get some inspiration in order to turn the tide.  
"Darn it!" he cursed, seeing the second enemy ship was some way off, but coming about in preparation for another sweep past. More sailors were gathering to make the jump across to Leos' boat. About to drop back down, a dark silhouette blotting out stars on the horizon caught his eye.

"No." he uttered in dismay, realising yet another ship was approaching. Leo glanced back towards the orange glow that was starting to diminish with the distance and the lack of fuel as the timbers of the sunken vessel were consumed by the flame. "I know you found them Mike; keep each other safe." he whispered, quickly turning his attention to an enemy sailor who had clambered up the ropes nearby in order to take pot-shots at the natives teeming below.

The ruffians' body fell to the deck a few moments after his head. Leo was quick to follow, his face set in a determined grimace as he attacked the invaders with no mercy. His strategy: to irrevocably down as many of his adversaries as possible before either the next wave of foes arrived, or he met his end.

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"Please Iago, let me look, just for a moment?" implored Tau.  
"My apologies, such things are unseemly for a Lady to witness." asserted Iago, holding his spy-glass out of her reach as he strode away from the prow, Tau quick to follow. "Now I must insist that you go below with Amadika. She will keep you out of harms' way. Under no circumstances are you to leave her side unless Amadika allows you to, or I come to fetch you. Do you understand?"

"But I know how to fight, and you're so outnumbered!" Tau argued, Iago giving her a stern look of refusal in reply. "At least tell me which turtle you saw! Was it...?"  
"No." Iago answered bluntly as he crouched to open the access hatch to the lower decks for her. "I am afraid it wasn't." He straightened to cup her cheek, Tau starting to shake her head slowly in agitation. "The best thing you can do now is stay safe and out from underfoot. A battlefield is no place for any woman. If you remain up on deck you will only act as a further distraction for me and my men, since we will be forced to defend you as well as ourselves. And that could well cost us valuable time that would be better spent aiding your friends. If he has fallen, surely you would not want it to have been in vain? And it will be, if we lose this battle."

Tau worked her jaw in stunned silence for a moment.  
"If any of the other turtles are still alive, I _will_ find them for you." Iago vowed solemnly. "Is it too much to ask for a kiss, for luck?" he pressed in all seriousness. Tau glared at him, wide-eyed in disbelief. Then her expression softened, as she wondered if she were over-reacting. It was obvious Iago was about to risk his life, was a simple kiss really so much for him to ask?

Tentatively she leaned forward, dodging his mouth to press a light peck to his cheek.  
"Thank you, my Lady." smiled Iago. "However, I believe a kiss on the lips is considered to bring more luck..."  
"Captain!" interrupted Nataniel, looking up at them through the hatch from the Gun-deck below. "We are almost in range." The First Mate disappeared swiftly from view as Iago gave him a curt nod in understanding.  
"Quickly now, there is no time to waste!" urged Iago, a guiding hand already on her shoulder, ushering Tau down the hatch.

The Captain didn't follow her below, dashing away to do a final check of the rigging and to ensure Alejandro was remaining steadfast at the wheel. Nataniel and Edgardo were busy preparing the canons on the Gun-deck; packing as many of the barrels as they could, barking orders at Kirabo as the young boy ran to and fro from the gunpowder store and fetched the men various tools.

"Get below, girlie!" snarled Edgardo as Tau made her way past him.  
"Can't I help somehow...?" she protested, sidestepping out of Kirabos' path as he raced by.  
"It is a standing order of the Captains' that no woman is to be a part of any battle fought under his command." grunted Nataniel as he hefted a cannonball over to one of the guns. "He has his reasons for it. Now heed your Captains' order and get yourself below!" he ordered sternly.

Seeing Amadika waving her over, her head poking out of the hatch leading down to the next deck, Tau quickly scrambled down the ladder to follow the older woman to the Galley. Closing the door behind them Amadika ushered Tau further into the room, sweeping up a large carving knife off of the work-bench to hold the blade in a reverse grip. She offered a small, but wickedly sharp, utility knife to Tau, then took up a defensive position between the door and the younger girl. Grateful for the small weapon from Amadika, Tau readied the punch dagger she'd had hidden as well regardless.

There were no windows in the Galley. The only light came from two oil lanterns, their glass panels coated in a thick layer of grease and grime. The smell -a blend of wood smoke, stale grain, slightly rancid meat, rum, and rat droppings- made the walls of the small room seem even closer to Tau as she strained her hearing in order to determine what was happening above.

She was starting to wonder if the wood panelling over her head was insulating them form the sounds of the battle that must surely have started, when a deafening explosion made her instinctively cower. More blasts followed, the first few no more than half a minute apart. Just as Tau recovered her wits enough to wonder if what she was hearing included the enemy return fire, a terrifying 'BOOM' shuddered through the Halcon del Mar. More thundering crashes followed, cracks appearing in some of the panels within the Galley ceiling.

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Leo took lethal advantage of the distraction caused by the unexpected sound of cannon-fire, managing to overcome his urge to look, unlike his current opponent. It was a stroke of luck Leo was intensely grateful for; the burly sailor had known how to wield his cutlass with deadly effect, and Leo had suffered a few bad nicks during their tussle.

Leaping out onto the bowsprit to gain some reprieve from the continuing battle, Leo tried to rub some of the fatigue from his eyes in order to see what was occurring out on the water. To his great relief he realised the enemy ship that had been closing in again to drop off more reinforcements was engaged with the Halcon del Mar.

However, even with his limited understanding of naval tactics, it was clear for Leo to see that the enemy vessel was firing her shots at a much faster rate than his allies were. Despite that, Iagos' ship seemed to be holding her own; her shots more accurate and her smaller size and greater speed making her a harder target to hit.

Watching the two ships pummel each other, Leo realised it wasn't going to be enough to prevent the enemy ship from drawing alongside his own to off-load more reinforcements. Grabbing a rope he severed one end of it, using it to swing down past the hull to the first gun-port. Shoving past the canon barrel, Leo instantly recognised why his guns had barely responded to his last order to fire.

The Gun-deck was over-crowded with natives, many of whom were injured. A section of the wall and ceiling had collapsed; part of the enemy prow that had rammed Leos' vessel was visible where it had pushed through the timbers. The collision had thrown some of the cannons into the throng, causing more casualties. Those that had managed to stagger below nursing wounds from the melee above, or who hadn't been involved in the battle on the main deck as yet and were pushing forward to join it, were adding to the milling confusion.

Jumping up onto the barrel of one of the large guns, Leo managed to gain the attention of the natives nearby. Unable to find anyone that spoke English (Or was it Spanish? Baffled for an instant, Leo figured now wasn't the time to dwell on the phenomenon.), he was surprised at how readily the villagers attempted to follow his orders to prepare the guns.

At first he assumed the natives understood the situation. But then one man had leaned out of the gun-port; first looking in the wrong direction before spotting the enemy ship fast approaching to point in agitation. That had sent a wave of excitement through the crowd, many of the natives grinning up at the turtle as they worked to ready the cannons, putting Leo a little on edge. It was unusual, to say the least, for him to see a mob of humans smiling at him. As a murmur rose around him, the turtle kept hearing the word 'ayotl' among the chatter.

Leo heard the rush of water heralding the arrival of the enemy ship, just before he saw its' prow block the view from the first gun-port. He added his strength to the effort to push one of his ships' cannons into position, and then helped herd the crowd away from the recoil and shower of splinters and debris as most of his guns fired point-blank into the side of the enemy ship.

The shattered hull continued on its' way past, clearing the view out of the gun-ports of Leos' ship. Leaning out one of the ports to survey the situation, Leo realised that more enemy fighters had managed to leap across, seeing the group of sailors starting to clear some space for themselves by the railing they had just leapt over. However, it was clearly the last lot of reinforcements he and the natives would have to contend with, the patrol ship quickly listing to one side as her hull disintegrated under its' own weight, weakened as it was by cannon strikes on both sides.

A moment later the entire superstructure of the enemy vessel collapsed into the ocean; men diving for their lives to avoid being dragged down with the swiftly sinking wreck. His view now unfettered, Leo got a good look at the Halcon del Mar. Even in the dark of night, the damage he could see to her side made him cringe. He hoped Iago and his crew had managed to fare better than their ship. And, more so, that Tau was ok; not least because he didn't relish the thought of facing his brother if anything untoward happened to the girl.

Seeing the Halcon del Mar starting to come about to approach his ship, Leo turned to thank his impromptu gunners. He was almost pulled off his feet as the natives noisily mobbed him in return, many grasping at his arms and shell, even tugging on his bandana tails. Some seemed happy with only a touch, others tried to keep their grip upon him. Starting to feel a little overwhelmed by all the attention, Leo extradited himself from the crush. He opted for climbing out of a port to scale the hull to the upper deck, rather than trying to push through the crowd to climb the ladder.

Glad to see the Halcon del Mar was drawing closer with his own reinforcements, Leo was keen to clear an area of deck for them to land. It seemed the enemy fighters were happy to co-operate with him, shifting themselves away from the section of railing the vessel was approaching. Until the smaller ship pulled alongside and only two men leapt off it to join the fray. A younger man was left to tie the boats together before he too drew his cutlass, choosing to attack one of the enemy sailors that had laughed out loud at the paltry addition to the battle.

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Helping to pack rags into a large crack in the wall that had started seeping water, it took Tau a moment to realise the guns had stopped. Especially with the load ringing that was persisting in her ears. Sharing an apprehensive glance with Amadika, the old woman held up a bony finger for quiet, both straining their hearing in an effort to determine what was happening.

The relative silence started to drag for Tau, when two sudden sharp raps against the wood over their heads made her jump.  
"Come, we are needed!" urged Amadika, grabbing up a hessian bag from under the counter and dashing out of the door. Tau followed close on her heels as the old woman hastily climbed up to the ladder to the Gun-deck. The sight that greeted her made Taus' jaw drop.

The whole deck was a mess of shattered wood and hulking metal, one wall sporting huge holes where shot from the enemy had hit its mark. Most of the Halcon del Mar's cannon seemed to have been tossed about in disarray by the strikes, only two guns still tethered securely in place by their ports. The smoke and sharp tang of gunpowder lingering in the air made Taus' eyes water. But she had no trouble spotting Iago and Nataniel crouching around something beside one of the intact guns. Neither did Amadika, making a hurried beeline for the men.

Nataniel stepped back to allow the old woman into their huddle. Even hanging back a little as she was, Tau cringed at the gruesome sight of the two foot long splinter of jagged wood piercing Edgardos' thigh. Amadika fetched a series of cloths from her bag, many already soiled, to use as bandages; soon fitting a makeshift tourniquet above the wound. Iago remained kneeling beside his crew-man, offering him swigs from a bottle of neat rum and his stoic support. The only words he spoke were to Amadika, to let her know her son Kirabo was safe and had been sent to aid Alejandro on the Main Deck.

"Tausha, here, help hold him down." ordered Amadika, waving the girl into place beside her, indicating Tau should secure Edgardos' legs. Unsure she really wanted to be a part of whatever was about to happen, Tau had to force her feet to carry her over to place her hands on the old sailors' ankles. Amadika grabbed her by the shoulder, forcing Tau off balance enough to topple forward, making her kneel on the wounded mans' legs instead.

"He will kick like the Devil, don't let him move." instructed Amadika sternly. Nataniel shifted to the far side of the cannon Edguardo was propped against, leaning over the top of the gun to secure the old man's shoulders. Amadika leaned forward herself, putting her full weight on Edguardos' waist. Despite his face contorting in pain in being restrained so, Edgardo managed to return Iagos' nod. Standing, the Captain gave the splinter a good look up and down before he suddenly wrenched it free.

Tau found Amadika had been right, almost thrown off the old sailors' legs as he convulsed in response, giving a horrific scream. Iago swiftly knelt to take over Amadikas' task of holding down Edgardos' torso as the woman drew a spindle of coarse thread and a large needle from her bag. With well practiced speed she sewed the worst of the gaping wound shut, plucking smaller slivers of wood from the flesh as she went. Edgardo whimpered and shuddered with the pain though Tau didn't think he was fully conscious any longer.

Her patch-job done, Amadika then poured a measure of rum over the wound, Eduardo making a dreadful gurgling sound as she did so, before she wrapped his whole thigh as well as she could with more of the rags from her bag.  
"Get him below." ordered Iago, addressing Amadika. "This isn't over yet, I will send Kirabo down to you before we board. I'll have to take the others with me. We will try to stop anyone from boarding the Halcon, but...you know what to do." The old woman answered with a nod, already shifting to lift her patient, hastily waving at Tau, urging her to push past Iago and aid with lifting Edgardo.

Settling her shoulder under the old man's, Tau looked up as she felt a gentle touch on her cheek.  
"I hope you can forgive me for exposing you to such horrors, my Darling." implored Iago softly. His sad yet contrite smile, despite the blood and grime coating his face, made Tau feel for him.  
"It's alright." she smiled crookedly back. "It's not your fault."  
"Stay safe." he appealed.  
"Um, you too." Tau didn't get much of a chance to say anything else, Amadika already directing their charge towards the hatch to the lower decks. For a brief moment Iago gave her a last warm smile, before he turned to lead his men in the opposite direction.

It struck Tau too late that Iago had called her his 'darling', and she felt like kicking herself for not refuting it before he disappeared to the deck above. She started to chew her lip as she helped lower Edgardo down the ladder. She truly did wish Iago well, but worried he would read her well wishes as more than just friendly concern. Tau wondered if there had been something else she could have replied with, even as she dismissed the uneasy feeling she was somehow bordering on being faithless. Surely that was an absurd notion; it wasn't like she was committed to anyone else...really... Was it?


	10. Chapter 10

A/N: Holy hippo spit! An update?! YAY! Gotta warn ya though, this chapter gets a bit gory and gross in parts.

Today's installment brought to you by the shiny and new 'Any Art Forum' (www.tmntfan.nl/forum/index.php) that was recently created by engelina. It's just what it sounds; a place to discuss and share any kind of art form. Be it original or from any fandom.

GameGoddess76 – Thank you for the review! Glad you're enjoying this story, and I hope you can bear to stick it out just a little while longer for Raph and Tau to sort themselves out. There are a couple of little instances in this chapter that I think you might appreciate. ;)

aj13power – Hunting my work down here at FFNet, two reviews and adding me to your fav story/author alerts? I can't tell you how happy that made me to see the other day after all the upheaval that's been happening in my neck of the woods. Thank you most very muchly for all your support. -hugs-

artykidd – What would I do without you chica? I do know this series wouldn't be as good without your insightful reviews and great work picking up my flubs. And having your shoulder to lean on has been just wonderful. Thank you. -glomps-

CPQ – Many thanks to you too chica for helping to beta this story. It's always great to catch up with you. :)

DISCLAIMER: I don't own the TMNT, or any related characters (much to their relief, I'm sure!) If there is anything else in this story you recognise from somewhere else, then I don't own that either.

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Edgardo was barely conscious as the two women settled him on a makeshift cot upon the floor. It was little more than a long wooden box filled with dank straw that was covered with a woollen blanket. Kirabo arrived only to be ordered away to fetch more blankets by his mother. However, as Edgardo came to, he slapped Tau hard on the arm, forcing her to step away from him.  
"Don' yoo touchsh mee." he slurred; partly due to his pain, mainly because of the effects of the 'medicinal' rum. "I'zsh a goood God-fearin' man! I don' wanna devils' whore touchin' me!"

"I'm trying to help you!" scowled Tau in aggravation.  
"NO! OUT! Ge' out!" snarled Edgardo, trying to sit up as he flung his arm towards the door, despite Amadika holding him down.  
"You heard the man!" Amadika snapped. Tau stood in shock a moment, anger making her turn on her heel to stalk from the room, almost bumping into Kirabo as he tried to enter with his stack of blankets.

Pacing with clenched fists in the narrow hall, Tau muttered darkly to herself. She was rehearsing a speech she knew would fall on deaf and inebriated ears regarding just why she couldn't be considered a whore in any real sense of the word, when the full implications of what Edgardo had said hit her. She doubted he would call his Captain a 'devil'. Surely then he was referring to Raph; as a fiendish whoremonger!

Seeing red Tau stormed back into the compartment.  
"How _dare_ you!" she snarled down at the old man. "You have _no_ right to suggest Raph is anything but honourable. After all the turtles have put up with to help you...!" Edgardo cut her off with a garbled, enraged yell; again so agitated he almost lifted himself out of the cot. Amadika forcefully pushed him back down before leaping up to grab Taus' arm in a vice-like grip, shoving the girl back out into the hallway.

Not finished with the screaming match between herself and Edgardo, Tau resisted the old woman. She was shocked to discover just how much strength the scrawny African had, especially as she dealt Tau a stinging slap to her face.  
"He needs rest!" scolded Amadika. "You stay out here." she ordered brusquely. Taken aback by the assault to her cheek, Tau couldn't gather her wits enough to retort before Amadika swiftly returned to the room to settle her patient.

Furious, Tau vented her frustration on the wall. She only punched the wood panelling once before she figured that wasn't the smartest idea, sucking on her grazed knuckles to ease the pain. Pacing once more, she started to feel foolish for letting Edgardo rile her so. The old guy _was_ in a lot of pain, and there was nothing she could've accomplished by yelling at him like that.

What could she hope to accomplish here at all; left behind for her own safety when the lives of her closest friends were at stake mere meters above her head? Could she trust Iagos' promise he'd aid the turtles, or even his assertion that he'd only spotted one of them currently involved in the battle? What if something had happened to Raph? Or Mike? Or..._any_ of them!?

Tau settled Iagos' jacket she still wore, steadfastly securing its' buttons. It wasn't much, but the thick material would afford her far better protection than her singlet alone. Gripping the punch dagger in her left hand, the small utility knife in the other, Tau set her resolve and climbed the ladder. She was determined to show these old fashioned chauvinists just how well women could fight to help defend those they cared for; 21st Century style.

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Despite the round of laughter from their enemies at Iago, Nataniel and Alejandro joining the fray, Leo breathed a sigh of relief for having others adept at this kind of warfare fighting along-side him. It was obvious, however, that the outcome of the battle was still teetering on the balance. The enemy held the advantage with greater numbers of skilled and well armed fighters, who were able to work together more cohesively.

Meeting Iagos' eyes, Leo gave the Spaniard a nod in thanks. Not only for the much needed aid, but for what Leo guessed was the Captains' foresight to leave a man behind to guard the women and kid. He hoped that was the reason Tau hadn't made an appearance; it wouldn't do to start second-guessing his allies' motives at this moment. Though he did catch himself wishing she would head out onto the deck; so he could see for himself that she was okay, and to give him an extra fighter for their cause. For all her inexperience, he had to admit Tau had come a long way in her training with his family. She'd be handy to have on-side right about now...

Putting his hopes and thoughts out of his head, Leo focused solely on the battle once more.

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Cautiously Tau crept out of the hatch. Seeing the melee up-close made the bile rise in her throat. Everywhere she looked, people were getting killed or inflicting horrific wounds upon one another. There was nothing to shield her from what she was witnessing; it wasn't like it was being portrayed on a screen to keep it safely aside from her own reality.

Even in the last conflict she'd been involved with, whilst she had been vaguely aware that some of the Purple Dragons the turtles had defeated on Halloween wouldn't rise again, she'd been unable to really see much detail of that battle beyond the dell she had been trapped in for the most part. And this time Tau felt utterly alone, exposed to the horror; no Casey or April to stand beside her, no turtles forming a protective cordon around her.

She quickly spotted Leo moving among the throng. Compared to those surrounding him his movements were full of fluidity and grace, his blades acting as a natural extension of his body. For a moment Tau wondered if she was being obscene; seeing such beauty in one who was cutting through flesh and bone without hesitation.

But then she saw Leo clash with a sailor wielding a wickedly long knife in one hand, a metal gauntlet strapped to his other arm. Leos' opponent obviously knew what he was doing with his weapons, blocking the turtles' strikes to inflict a deep cut to his cheek, nicking the blue bandanna. Tau realised in that moment that Leo had little choice in being so ruthless, if they were to have any chance of winning this fight.

Desperately she scanned the crowded deck in the hopes of spotting any of his brothers. Tears threatened as Tau felt her panic rising, until a sailor she didn't recognise vaulted the railing where the two ships were bound together, onto the deck of the Halcon del Mar. Brandishing a knife of his own, the brute licked his lips as he approached, giving her an arrogant smirk.

Outraged at his look and determined that Iago _couldn't_ be right, refusing to believe that Leo was the last turtle standing, Tau gripped her weapons firmly. She swallowed her fear and charged her adversary with a fierce battle cry.

Taus' yell barely registered with Leo, lost as it was among the clamour. Iagos' shout a couple of minutes later did however;  
"Dear God! My Lady NO!"

Leo captured his current foes' blade with his swords. That earned him a chance to glance away in time to see Tau deliver the leap-kick that toppled her opponent over the side of the Halcon del Mar, into the sea below. Her face set in grim resolution; she ignored Iago to jump up onto the railing of Leos' ship.  
"TAU!" yelled Leo, gaining her attention. Freeing one hand from his own struggle for a moment, he had to give a brief grin as she followed his quick series of hand signals without pause.

Tau raced along the railing, climbing up to the stern deck. She was quick enough to evade meaty hands grasping at her, ducking down to hamstring the burly sailor who was busy tossing any natives that came within his reach overboard. As soon as the man toppled backwards, Tau ducked out of the way of the natives who surged forwards to take their revenge upon him.

Feeling she was on a roll, adrenaline surging through her, Tau jumped back down onto the main deck, landing upon another enemy sailor to knock the wind out of him. Her follow-through punch knocked him unconscious. Figuring her best bet was to stick by Leo, and hoping he might get a chance to tell her what had happened to his brothers, Tau set about trying to fight and shove her way down the deck towards him.

Unfortunately, she soon lost sight of her friend among the milling confusion; sure he had been situated by the main mast. Once she eventually reached the large pole however, Tau couldn't catch sight of him anywhere. Distracted as she was with her search, she didn't notice the tall, wiry sailor approaching that grabbed her from behind. In an instant he had one hand wrapped over her mouth, the other around her waist pinning her left arm. He shoved her hard against the mast, trapping her right arm with enough force to swiftly make it numb, lifting her bodily off the ground. Try as she might, Tau couldn't seem to connect a solid kick to his legs.

"What's this then?" he crooned in her ear, his breath foul with rum and rotten teeth. "Seems there's spoils to be had from this fracas after all." Shaking her head vigorously, Tau managed to bite down on one of his fingers, tasting blood. The sailor merely chuckled. "Good. I like 'em with a bit o' spirit; makes 'em last longer. Me an' me mates have been at sea a mighty long time to go without the comfort of a woman." Tau redoubled her struggle against him, screaming in vain against his hand as he ran his tongue up the side of her throat.

She nicked her fingers as she turned the punch dagger in her left fist. Positioning the blade so it was jutting past her wrist, Tau jabbed it backwards into her captors' thigh. A dull 'thunk' of metal on wood made her heart sink. Surely he didn't have a wooden leg; wasn't that kind of junk only Hollywood myth? The sailor didn't cry out, but went stiff for a moment, before suddenly dropping her to the deck. Glancing back up at him, punch-dagger at the ready for another reverse strike, Tau was shocked to see he was dead. His body still twitched slightly despite being pinned to the mast, his throat skewered with a sai.

Hurriedly picking herself up she craned over the crowd to see Mike launch himself with a high leap into the fray. A strip of red fabric fluttered briefly above the throng between her and her orange-clad friend, Tau oblivious to the tears of joyous relief tracking down her cheeks.

A huge, dark-skinned sailor suddenly blocked her line of sight, his arm raised to backhand her. Despite his naked chest being fairly open for her to attack, Tau instinctively cowered instead, his fist ruffling her hair as it swept above her head. Stumbling backwards, Tau whimpered as the giant stepped after her. Unthinking, she tried to ward him off, pushing at him with both fists as he locked his hands about her throat.

Despite the tingling in her right arm as the blood flow returned to it, Tau could feel the warm slime wash over her hand. She'd sunk the utility knife she'd forgotten she was holding into his gut, making a long cut her hand all but disappeared into. The nauseating smell of his split intestine hit her like a slap, making her reel.

The sailor reflected her stunned look for a moment, briefly touching his bulging innards in disbelief before he toppled forwards. The deck underfoot slick with fresh blood and bile, distracted in trying to dislodge her hand and blade from his abdomen and hampered by the body of a native lying behind her, Tau couldn't move in time to avoid the falling sailor.

The force of him hitting her pushed the air from her lungs, and Tau found herself trapped under the man's hefty weight. She guessed she should consider herself lucky, the other corpse close behind her prevented her from being totally crushed. She tried to yell out for help as she saw a pair of green feet dash past her. Her voice was lost to the din as her limited view returned to being filled only with dozens of shifting human feet; bare and in boots.

Trying to stop herself from panicking as she felt the fluids from the dead man soaking into her clothes, Tau took stock of her situation. She left the utility knife embedded where it was; she doubted she could wrench it free now, and was in no mind to want to keep the weapon. A pain in her other hand reminded her she still held the punch-dagger. Not wanting to lose one of the turtles' blades, knowing how hard it was for them to acquire such things, Tau gingerly closed the dagger and tucked it into the pocket of her jeans.

Bracing her back against the deck, she wriggled until she could get both hands against the broad chest pinning her down. Psyching herself up to push she was making a mental count in her head;  
'_One...two...th-_'  
"OOF!" a second body landing atop the giant above her winded her again; twitching legs that quickly stilled blocking most of her view.

Realising she now had no hope of freeing herself, Tau tried to relax using the meditation techniques Splinter had taught her. All she had to do was wait until the battle resolved and someone, hopefully a _good_ someone, would come to free her. Right? How hard could that be? How long could it possibly take? She had no idea; her mind quickly succumbing to an interminable silent scream.

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Leo was looking about desperately for Tau; sure she had jumped down to the main deck at just this point in front of the stern cabin. Shoving through a group of natives, he climbed partway up the stair to the higher stern-deck to get a better view. He almost rubbed his eyes in astonishment; not seeing the girl, but spotting Raph cutting a swathe through the opposition as he made a bee-line towards the main mast, Mike covering his brothers' back.

"Where's Don?" Leo fretted out-loud to himself. Leaning over the railing, looking towards the place he estimated his brothers had scaled the side of the boat, he spotted the dinghy bobbing below in the shadow of the enemy vessel still bound to his ship. It was hard to differentiate the four silhouettes sitting in the bottom of the small boat, but he was almost certain it was Don he saw give him a small wave. Chuckling weakly in relief, Leo waved in return.

Looking back out across the main deck Leo resisted the urge to relax, despite the protests for rest from every muscle in his body. It was becoming clear that, with the arrival of his brothers, the enemy sailors were starting to break, realising their cause was lost. It seemed none of them were about to go down easily however. Leo resettled his grip on the handles of his katana before he jumped down, meeting yet another in battle.

A short while later Leo managed to cut down one more enemy. He glanced about to find his next adversary when he realised that, finally, there were no rival sailors left standing.  
"_You!_" Leo turned at the yell from his brother. "You damn idiotic lunatic!" Raph accused irately, natives quick to scramble out of his way as he marched up to get in Leos' face. "What were you thinking, leaving us behind like that?" demanded Raph, scowling deeply.  
"Well I... Uh!?" Leo failed to make his argument as Raph suddenly clutched him tight in a fierce bear hug. Returning his brothers' strong embrace, a crooked smile invading his face, Leo knew there was no need for words in that moment.

"So." started Raph matter-of-factly, ending the hug as abruptly as he'd begun it to hold Leo at arms' length. "Where the hell is Tau?"

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Tau had her eyes clenched shut, cringing as far back into the wooden deck as she possibly could in a useless attempt to escape the weight and entrails crushing down on her. Time seemed to have deserted her; she had no clue what was happening beyond her cell of corpses. As far as she knew, 10 minutes or 10 hours could have passed when a familiar voice finally broke through the white noise battering the inside of her skull.  
"TAU? TAU! Where _is_ she?! TAU! For fucks' sake answer me girl! _Please_?"

"Here! I'm _HERE!_" she screamed, terrified by how far away Raph sounded, and realising he was moving further away from her. She broke into hoarse noisy sobs as she felt some of the weight lifted off of her as the top body was removed, the second body quickly being shifted as well. Tau had never felt so grateful to see another's face in all her life, babbling "Thank you, _thank you_...!" as Nataniel stepped over her to roll the hefty cadaver to one side. Iago was quick to crouch beside her, his face full of worry. Half a dozen natives gathered about, peering down at the scene.

"My dear, are you alright? Are you hurt?" pressed Iago, offering her a hand as she scrabbled to get up. Feeling an overwhelming need to get away from where she had been trapped Tau took his offer, quick to snatch her hand back once she was on her feet. The way her clothes clung to her as she stood came as an unsavoury reminder of what they were soaked in. Tau tentatively glanced down at herself to see she was coated practically head to toe in blood, and worse.

With a little shriek she flinched backwards, in an insane attempt to recoil from the revolting layer caked onto her own skin. Concerned, Iago stepped after her, opening his arms to wrap her in an embrace.  
"No. NO! DON'T_touch_ ME!" panicked Tau, her eyes wild as she quick-stepped back away from him again. The natives milling nearby gave the pair a wide berth as Iago insisted on moving closer, his arms still spread wide.

Iagos' advance was brought to an abrupt halt. A hand on his shoulder yanked him about before Raph punched him square in the face with enough force to send him flying. The Spaniard skidded to a halt some distance away, sprawled on his back on the deck.  
"She said 'NO'!" Raph snarled, stalking towards Iago, eager fists clenched. Nataniel and Alejandro both stepped into Raphs' path, ready to defend their Captain. Mike grasped Raphs' arm, hoping to stop him from going berserk and ploughing through the two to get to his main quarry; Leo quick to make his way through the crowd to the standoff as well.

"Let it pass Nate, Alik." grunted Iago, picking himself up to shake the stars from his vision. "I'm not hurt at all." he assured, tossing a dark look of contempt at the hot-head. With a growl Raph lurched toward his antagonist, almost pulling Mike off his feet. To his credit, Iago barely flinched under the evil glower from the turtle.

"Stand-down Raph." ordered Leo, his voice deliberately calm and firm. "This is no time to be fighting among ourselves."  
"Yes, my friend." Iago gave as insincere smile as he could, given half his face was already starting to swell. "Don't you think she has seen enough violence for one evening?" he nodded towards Tau.

Everyone took that cue to look back over to the girl. She was a pitiful sight; shivering with reaction as she cowered where she stood, her eyes were glazed over as her lips moved in incoherent whispers. Her hand hovered over her arm as if she were afraid to touch herself.  
"She needs you now bro." Mike murmured to Raph, giving him a light push in Taus' direction in encouragement. "That loser can wait."

Raph knew Mike was right, though he paused to glance back at Iago with a snarl and itchy fists. Seeing Leo take a step towards the girl out of the corner of his eye, Raph grabbed his blue-clad brother by the rim of his shell, shoving Leo out of his way as he walked swiftly past.

Tau glanced up, abject fear in her eyes, as Raph drew close to her.  
"_Don't_ touch me!" she whispered desperately, making him stop a few steps short.  
"Why not?" he asked bluntly, his harsh words making a stronger shudder surge through her body.  
"Not clean." she whispered, her eyes glazing over again. "I feel so dirty. Get it off? Please, get it off?" she begged in a strangely detached monotone.

"Okay." Raph soothed as best he could, holding up his hands to placate her. "I'm gonna have ta touch you to do that." he pointed out as she flinched away from him. Tau vigorously shook her head.  
"Then you'll be dirty too!" she argued quietly, her voice cracking badly as she shrank back even further. Gritting his teeth and doing his best to ignore the painful lump in his throat, Raph stepped forward to capture her shoulders in a strong grip. Tau cried out in dismay, trying to wriggle from his grasp until he gave her a sharp shake that seemed to snap her out of her struggle, though her eyes still rolled wildly.

"Here!" he urged indicating his eyes with his two fingers, drawing her gaze to lock with his. "Stay focused here. I can help you. Trust me; you can't make me 'dirty'. 'k?" Tau continued to stare wide-eyed at him a moment, still shivering badly.  
"'k." she finally breathed.  
"Good." he forced a strained smile, not breaking eye contact with her. Raph gently grasped both her shoulders again to guide her towards the stern cabin, careful not to touch her anymore than was necessary. "I'm gonna need some water Leo." he called to his brother.

"Hmph!" grunted Iago, addressing Leo and Mike as the pair disappeared into the cabin. "You're brother has no idea how to treat a Lady. The poor girl needs comforting, not to have her brains rattled inside her head. And, I might point out, she told _him_ not to touch her either." he derided.  
"Yeah? Well Tau aint your 'run of the mill' Lady, bone-head." retorted Mike emphatically, before Leo could speak. "It's obvious Raph knows what she needs more than _you_ do, and she _trusts_ him too!"  
"Mike." Leo warned softly. His brother ignored him completely.  
"No way you would've gotten her to calm down that quickly. And she sure as hell wouldn't have agreed to let a sleazeball like you _wash_ her...! Oh! Ah, heh heh..." Mike petered out, a light colour rising on his cheeks as a quirky grin crept onto his face. Leo rolled his eyes briefly.

"Of course not!" scoffed Iago in indignation. "I would never be so uncouth as to suggest such a thing of a maiden in distress!"  
"Yeah, right." muttered Mike sarcastically, earning himself a sharp glower from the Captain.  
"Ok, that's enough Mikey." Leo reprimanded lightly. "There's no point arguing over it now, not when we all still have work to do. I'll check on Don, then fetch Raph some water and keep an eye on things there to make sure they don't get out of hand. Though I don't think we have too much to worry about in regards to anything _inappropriate_ occurring." he added emphatically, mainly for his brothers' benefit. "Mike; find some of the natives that speak our language to help you and take stock of how they've all fared. Iago; I want you to..."  
"_I_ need to see to my crew and ship." interjected Iago, his crew-men quick to follow him as he strode away towards the Halcon del Mar.

"Sheesh! Tau is right, that guy is a jerk!" muttered Mike, quick to put his hands up in deference to the stern look his brother gave him before he scampered away on his errand. Shaking his head slowly at Mikes' antics, Leo made his way over to the railing where the dingy had been moored. The natives that were gathered around the point easily parted to allow him a path through. However, he had to step back briefly as a sodden islander clambered over the rail.

Gaining a chance to peer down at the small craft overshadowed by the two larger vessels, Leo had to squint in an effort to determine who was who in the darkness.  
"Don? Are you ok?" he called, curious as to why his brother hadn't scaled the hull yet.  
"Yeah Leo, I'm alright for the moment." came Dons' answer, helping Leo to pick-out the silhouette of his sibling. Don was lying back against the side of the boat near the prow, one villager huddled alongside him. An old native stood near the stern, aiding another already climbing the rope.

"Are you going to come up?" asked Leo.  
"I can't just yet." replied Don. "I don't have the strength to climb up myself. I'm going to have to be winched up with the dingy."  
"You're hurt?" exclaimed Leo in worry. "I'll get you hoisted up straight away..." he turned away, looking for help from the surrounding natives.

"No! Leo don't!" called Don, relieved to see his brother lean back over the rail to listen to him. "I'm a bit battered, but I'm stable. There were quite a few natives that fell overboard, and the blood in the water has already started attracting sharks. It's easier for them to climb into the dinghy. And it seems my new friend here considers me good luck!" The old man paused in helping the last of his kinsmen get started climbing the rope to nod his ready agreement. "We're gonna head out to see if there are any others in need of rescue who can't swim back here."

"But Don...!"  
"Leo." the brainiac staunchly interceded. "Given the medical technology available in this period, or rather lack thereof, there's nothing else we can do to assist my recovery other than bed-rest. I'm likely just as comfortable here as you will be able to make me up there. And in the time it would take for the dingy to be hoisted and let back down again, we could very well lose more innocent lives."

"Are you sure?" pressed Leo, concerned for the way Dons' voice was starting to waiver, straining to see for himself the extent of his brothers' injuries.  
"Yes Leo, I'm sure." deadpanned Don. "Besides, having my weight in the bottom of the dinghy helps to stabilize it, making it less likely to capsize as my friend here hauls people aboard."  
"Oddly enough Don, that doesn't reassure me." Leo quipped in light sarcasm, raising his voice to make his point as the old man pushed the dingy away from the ship regardless.  
"Sorry bro!" called Don, giving a wave goodbye. With a scowl Leo returned the gesture curtly before he turned away to his next task of fetching water for Raph.


	11. Chapter 11

A/N: This may be the last chapter I get to post for a little while. I'm helping to organise the TMNT fandom Adult Fan Fiction Awards again this year, so I'll be dedicating a fair amount of my free time to that over February. If you'd like to check out the competition it is being hosted at the Stealthy Stories forum, under the Naughty Fanatics Unite thread (SS:NFU), and at the LiveJournal community TMNTAdult.

For those that are interested, and can access SS:NFU, I posted a snippet of TT6 Chapter 2 there a little while ago. I have deleted that thread and just wanted to assure those that left a comment that I did save a copy of your feedback; I appreciated it too much to lose it! So why did I delete it? Because I've since posted the first three chapters of TT6 in their entirety, and will likely post some more of it shortly. I am planning to abridge TT6 to post it here at FFNet once I've caught up posting the rest of fics leading up to it; for those who cannot, or do not wish to, access the adult-only sites. If you're hanging out for Raph and Tau to get their act together, don't worry! There's still a fair bit to happen yet in TT3. TT4 will be an 'M' rated short story, likely only 3 to 4 chapters long. TT5 is also a 3 chapter story, although that one exceeds the FFNet rating limit and so cannot be posted here.

Please note that the vast majority of stories I have planned for this series will not be rated NC-17. In fact, most of TT6 is 'M' rated, with the exception of a few chapters. There are a couple of short stories that I have written and posted at SS:NFU already for this series (TT5 among them) that are NC-17 and cannot be abridged. But I have tried to ensure that they are not integral to the overall plot and so can be skipped over safely without missing any major turning points in the series.

RAPHAELFAN02 – Have I told you lately that I adore you? I love reading your fantastic reviews. -hugs-

GameGoddess76 – "Smelly Captain"? LOL! That gives me such a giggle every time I think of it. XD Thank you most muchly for your great review! -bows-

artykidd – Thank you for your wonderful work beta-reading this chapter. I always love your feedback and appreciate you catching my flubs and cultural gaffs. -hugs-

DISCLAIMER: I don't own the TMNT, or any related characters (much to their relief, I'm sure!) If there is anything else in this story you recognise from somewhere else, then I don't own that either.

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Raph looked about the spacious cabin in dismay as he closed the door behind himself and Tau. Half of the right-hand wall was badly damaged, with a large ragged hole in it where a cannonball had punched through. There were fragments of wood and glass scattered all across the floor and what remained of the furniture. The large desk in the centre of the room listed to one side where one of its' legs had been shattered. And the low, ornate bed to Raphs' left featured a deep, blackened dip in the middle of its mattress where the shot had come to rest.

Glancing at Tau, Raph felt the knot in his throat tighten as she dipped her head away from meeting his eyes. With his hand still on her shoulder, he could feel her shivering intensify as she shied slightly from his appraisal of her.

With a despondent sigh Raph left Tau standing by the door, grabbing the desk to set it on its' side, supported on its' edge by its' two intact legs. It took some effort and a fair bit of cursing, but Raph managed to manhandle the heavy mahogany desk over to the corner, forming a makeshift cubicle.

Fetching Tau over, only her head and shoulders were visible above the improvised screen. Raph was relieved to see her offer him a timid, fleeting smile in thanks. Unsure what to say, he gave her a smile and nod in encouragement before he turned away to search the room for some clean clothes for her.

On a side-table beside the bed Raph found a large, metal decanter that had somehow survived the wreckage intact, half-full of what looked to be water. Giving the liquid a cautious sniff, the faint yet unmistakable scent of rum assailed his nostrils. Wondering where Leo was with the water he'd asked for, Raph figured this would at least give Tau something to get started with.

Grabbing the small cloth that covered the side-table, and scooping up a large wooden bowl that had been knocked to the floor, he carried the lot over to the corner where Tau was attempting to strip off her sodden clothes. She seemed to be having an awkward time of it, from what Raph could see. It was clear she wanted to shirk the material clinging to her quickly, but was also trying to do so without handling it anymore than she had to.

Kneeling beside the upturned desk, Raph slid the decanter, bowl and cloth around the end of it; placing the supplies with Taus' easy reach.  
"Thank you." she murmured as he straightened again. He was about to ask if she needed some help, as she gasped and writhed to get her jacket to slip down her arms and off. But, with a grunt that was a mix of disgust and relief, she managed to toss the garment. It landed with a wet, heavy 'thunk' past the end of the desk. Tau paid it no more mind as she turned her attention to peeling off her red stained singlet, plucking at it with the tips of her fingers in revulsion.

The jacket caught Raphs' notice, however. Even discoloured as it was, it seemed familiar to him somehow. And it certainly wasn't a part of Taus' usual wardrobe; it was much too big for her for a start. He stared at the coat for a few long moments before he realised where he had seen it before.  
"Is that Iagos'?" he asked curtly.  
"Huh?" grunted Tau from the far side of the wooden screen, bent over too far for Raph to see her at all.  
"The jacket. It's his, isn't it." stated Raph, brooding on why the Tau would've been wearing such a thing.

Tau didn't answer. At the sound of her shuffling about and griping softly Raph was tempted to peek over the screen to check she was okay. Suddenly, she stood back up with a relieved gasp, her tainted singlet landing atop the jacket.  
"Sorry." she offered contritely. "What were you saying?"  
"Uh..." Raph tried to blink away the distraction of seeing her bare shoulders, his minds' eye unhelpfully filling in details hidden from him by the screen. "I was just askin'..."  
"Eep!" yelped Tau, ducking out of sight as the cabin door was shoved open.

"Damn it!" Raph exclaimed at the sudden intrusion. "Haven't you ever heard of knocking?" he snapped.  
"Do you want this water or not?" retorted Leo, placing two large, brimming buckets on the floor. "Where is Tau?" he asked tersely, looking about the room with a scowl of concern.  
"Getting cleaned up behind there." Raph gestured sharply with his thumb. "Why? What the hell did you _think_ she'd be doing in here?"  
"I didn't...!" started Leo heatedly; stopping himself to close his eyes a moment, hands palm out in front of him as he took a deep breath to regain his composure.

"I apologise." he began again, his tone calm. "I should have knocked first. However, it was difficult to do so with my hands full. This is sea-water by the way. I thought Tau would rather not smell like a distillery."  
"Yeah, at least this stuff doesn't stink." conceded Raph brusquely, hefting a bucket over to shove it around the end of the makeshift screen for Tau.

Leo stepped back out of the cabin, waving Raph over to join him by the doorway.  
"Is she alright? Was she harmed at all?" pressed Leo quietly.  
"I don't think so. Though it's hard to tell for sure 'till she cleans all that blood off." replied Raph. "I reckon she's just had a bad scare is all."

Heaving a sigh of relief, Leo continued, "Let me know if she is hurt. I tried to keep an eye on her, but I..."  
"It's alright bro." assured Raph, his tone solemn as he gripped his brothers' arm in consolation. Grateful, Leo looked up with a smile; that stalled on his face as he spotted a wicked glint in Raphs' eye. "I was there to pick up your slack." patronised the hot-head, a cheeky grin erupting on his face at the dark look Leo shot him.  
"Leave the buckets out here if you need more water. I'll be back to check on you two later." Leo directed curtly. Raph couldn't help smirking to himself as he watched his brother stalk away.

Closing the door again, his humour evaporating, Raph called out;  
"Tau? You ok?"  
"Yeah." came her hesitant reply, before her head poked cautiously around the end of the desk, only a couple of feet from the floor. "I don't suppose there's any soap?" she asked plaintively.  
"Ah, no. I don't think so. I haven't seen any since we left the Lair." he shrugged.  
"Oh." sighed Tau in disappointment, vanishing behind the screen again. The sound of water being slopped about reached Raph. "What I would give for a hot shower right now..." she lamented quietly, a waiver in her voice.

Glancing at the pile of clothes Tau had dumped on the floor, the jacket still plain to see at the bottom of the heap, Raph pondered over her words as he resumed his search for something for her to change into. To his frustration, every drawer and chest he opened was empty; of cloth at least. He did find numerous empty rum bottles, a stack of tattered papers, and the satchel containing the Log Book he and his brothers had taken from the mine.

Finally he found what looked to be a long, thick cotton shirt rumpled within the sheets at the end of the bed. It almost reached the floor as he held it up by its' shoulders to look it over. It certainly wasn't the cleanest garment he'd ever seen, but Raph figured Tau would be happier with a bit of grime over gore soaked clothing.

Heading back to the upturned desk, Raph tossed the shirt to leave it hanging over the top edge of it.  
"Here ya go." he offered, with a touch of petulance.  
"Uh? Oh! Thanks." Tau mumbled, pouring more water.  
"What would ya give, and would it matter who gave it to you?" he asked brusquely, his tongue working faster than his head.  
"Wha...? What do you mean by that?" queried Tau, sounding thoroughly confused. Unsure why, Raph felt reluctant to share his thoughts.  
"I, uh, it doesn't matter. Forget it." he grumbled, grabbing up the second bucket to carry it over beside the bed.

Sitting heavily on the edge of the mattress, Raph set about cleaning his own wounds; tearing strips from one of the sheets to dress the worst of his injuries. Engrossed in his task, Raph was tying off his final bandage when a soft noise finally caught his attention. Cocking his head, he tried to determine its' source. He leapt to his feet as he realised it was Tau weeping quietly.  
"What's wrong?" exclaimed Raph, almost crashing into the upturned desk as he skidded on the wet floorboards in his haste. Gripping the side-edge of the wood, he fought the temptation to poke his head past it as the girl only gave a small whimper.

"Tau?" he prompted, panic seeping into his voice.  
"I can't get it all off." she explained in a broken whisper. "I can still _feel_ it! And I can't... Can't..."  
"You're not bleeding, are you? Is that why you can't clean it off?" Raph worried.  
"No." answered Tau, giving a loud snuffle.  
"Well, what can I do to help?" asked Raph, more curtly than he intended.  
"I... I'm not sure." Tau murmured uncertainly. "Can you... Would you mind, um, washing my back?"

"You can't reach?" Raph quirked an eye-ridge, warmth infusing his cheeks.  
"It's not that so much." admitted Tau. "But I can't scrub it hard enough. And I..., um, it still feels like there's '_something_' there." she sobbed.  
"Oh. Ah, ok then." he agreed with some hesitation. "But you know I'm gonna have to come in there with you to do it."  
"Uh-huh." acknowledged Tau. "Just give me a moment." Raph heard her shift, and her bucket being shoved over the floorboards, before she invited him with a very timid; "Okay, I'm ready."

Looking around the end of the table took more courage than anything else Raph had done that night. Unsure what to expect, he was almost shocked to see Tau naked; sitting with her back to him. Her arms were wrapped tightly around her drawn up knees, her hair a thick twist pulled over her shoulder. The sheen of water upon her back made the purple tones of her tattoo vibrant on her skin.

The small patch of floor Tau was sitting on was relatively clean, if sodden. However, there was red-brown stain encircling her closely on the floorboards; testament to the filth she had already cleaned off. Tau was shivering for being dripping wet with the cold sea-water, and the pre-dawn chill seeping in through the damaged wall. Despite that, the skin on her sides, arms and legs had a pink sheen to it that made Raph wonder just how hard she had been scrubbing herself.

"You ok?" she prompted with a sniff, glancing at him side-long over her shoulder.  
"Uh, um, yeah! Sorry." flustered Raph, feeling a little foolish. Taking a deep breath he decided this situation was nothing to be getting unsettled about, it was just one friend helping out another. At least, he was sure that's how Tau saw it. Sitting on his heels behind her, picking up the cloth she had left floating in the fresh-filled bowl, he had to clench the fabric in his fist. The last thing he wanted was for Tau to feel his hand tremble as he gently dabbed her skin.

"You can rub harder, if you'd like." Tau suggested deferentially. Raph couldn't actually see any blood on her. But giving her the benefit of the doubt he wiped over her whole back, to be sure the dragon snaking down one side and across the small of her back wasn't helping to camouflage any smears.  
"Harder, please?" she begged.  
"I think you've already gotten it pretty clean..."  
"_Please?_"

The desperation in her tone making his throat ache, Raph complied. He stood up on his knees to put some weight behind his strokes as he scoured the area again.  
"Raph? Can you...?" she murmured as he finished.  
"If I scrub any harder Tau, I'll rub your damn tat off!" exclaimed Raph.  
"Oh, 'k." she gave a despondent sigh. "Thank you." she added softly.

"You all done?" he asked, getting back to his feet.  
"I, uh, just need to rinse my hair again." said Tau, refusing to look up at him. Her hair looked fine to Raph; worried for her state of mind, he hesitated.  
"Alright, but make it quick." he qualified; a stern edge to his tone. "I'll bring over something you can dry yourself with. I don't know how much longer we'll have in here, so I need you to get dressed, 'k?" Tau did glance up at him at that, her mouth open as if to protest. Seeing the set of his jaw however, she acquiesced with a whispered; "'k."

Wasting no time, Raph grabbed the remnants of the sheet off the bed, returning to hold it expectantly over the top of the screen. His concern wore on his patience as Tau continued to slop water with no word to him at all. After a minute, Raph snapped;  
"C'mon Tau! Don't make me come in there to dry you off as well!"  
"You don't need to do that!" she gasped. "I... I won't be much longer." she assured quickly.

Another minute passed.  
"Tau..." Raph drawled in warning.  
"But I...!"  
"No 'buts'!"  
"I'm trying to wash my hair." she whimpered, sounding close to tears again. Dumping the sheet atop the edge of the wooden screen, Raph wracked his brain for a solution that wouldn't involve traumatising the poor girl any further.

"Do you have any clean water left?" he asked abruptly.  
"Um, yeah, there's still a little in my bucket." Tau replied.  
"Pass it up to me." commanded Raph.  
"What!? Why?"  
"Just _do_ it, will you?" he scowled. "I'm _tryin'_ to help you!"

A moment later Tau peered uncertainly over the top of the improvised cubicle. She hefted the bucket over to Raph one handed; her other arm wrapped tight over her chest, regardless of the fact her modesty was protected by the wooden table.  
"Good." said Raph, taking the bucket from her. "Now turn around."  
"Why do you want me to do that?" she countered. Despite his annoyance at her questioning his every order, Raph was glad to finally hear a little strength lacing her tone.  
"Because I _asked_ you to." he retorted.

Tau treated him to a sceptical look, taking a deliberate moment to knuckle her face before hesitantly following his directive. Raph waited until she was facing away from him to step up close enough to look over the screen. Her hair hung straight down her back with the weight of the water it already held. Raph caught his gaze following the clear rivulets flowing from the tips of it; quickly forcing his look away in fear Tau might catch him staring at her rear.

"AARGH!" she cried as, without warning, he upended the buckets' contents over her head. Tau almost turned on him in outrage. Remembering last moment that she was naked, Tau settled for glaring at him over her shoulder instead as she kept her arms folded tight over her chest. Having to blink away the water dribbling into her eyes from her fringe, she demanded; "What did you do _that_ for?"  
"To rinse your hair." shrugged Raph. "It's definitely clean now, there's nothing in the runoff that I can see. 'sides, you've got no water left." he pointed out, tossing the empty bucket. "Time to get dried off." Once more he held out the sheet remnant for her.

With an irate pout Tau snatched his offering, giving a 'huff' as she turned her back on him to wrap herself in the fabric. Pleased with himself, Raph also turned away to give her some privacy again; although he waited where he was for her to leave the cubicle. To his relief she didn't take too long to step out, looking a little ridiculous in the long shirt that hung almost to her feet, her hair wrapped in the sheet atop her head.

"You okay?" asked Raph, noticing her bottom lip tremble even as she shot him dark look.  
"I'd still ki..." Tau shook her head, looking pained for an instant, "Give a lot to have a hot shower right about now." she grumbled, "And for a bar of soap, a scrubbing brush and around three bottles of Dettol." she looked away as a hiccupy sob escaped her.  
"Hey." he soothed, feeling a little contrite. Gently grasping her arm, Tau barely resisted as Raph pulled her around to face him again. "I know you were covered in some pretty gross stuff, but it's all only muck in the end. It's gone now anyway, so why get so upset over it?"

Crooking a finger under her chin, he made her look up to meet his eyes when she didn't answer.  
"Huh?" he prompted. Tau reluctantly let go of the lip she held between her teeth.  
"It isn't just the... blood." she began in a whisper. "I... I _killed_ him." she breathed, a tear spilling down her cheek.  
"Who? That big guy?" asked Raph, a little sceptical.

"I didn't mean to!" Tau gushed out loud. "But he came at me, and I just... just _reacted_. He was gonna hit me, like Dad did the first time he..." her voice broke.  
"Oh, shit, Tau..." Raph murmured in concern as realisation hit him, cut off by Tau shaking her head vigorously.  
"I panicked. And I tried to push him away! And the next thing I knew he was... I didn't mean to. Honest! I'd never do something like that to..."

Raph drew her head onto his shoulder as she broke down and cried without restraint. Holding Tau in a loose hug she didn't return, he waited patiently for her to calm a little.  
"I'm sorry." he offered quietly. "I didn't know. But you can't blame yourself."  
"It was my fault." sniffled Tau.  
"No. That guy chose to join in the fight. He knew he would either kill or be killed." Raph explained gently. "That's the reality of what _we_ do Tau. You need to realise that too. And you can't regret that you're still standing after the battle and he's not. 'cos if_he_ was, then you wouldn't be. Understand?"

"Um, I think so." she breathed against his neck.  
"And that guy wasn't your Dad." Raph failed to swallow the painful lump in his throat. "I know you'd never want to hurt Hun like that; even if the bastard does deserve it for hitting you."  
"Hey!" Tau protested, lifting her head to frown at him.  
"He had no right to do that to you." asserted Raph.  
"Maybe." admitted Tau, "But he doesn't deserve to die for it, and he's not a 'bastard'."

Their eyes locked for a long moment.  
"How the hell did he end up with a daughter like you?" wondered Raph softly, wiping the tear-tracks from her cheek with his thumb. "I doubt Hun ever shed a tear for anyone, let alone stood up for 'em after they hurt him. You're a good person Tau. And I wish Hun could see that, if only to make you happy."

Tau considered his words for a moment. The growing quiver in her lips made it hard for her to ultimately give Raph a crooked little smile, before hiding her tears again on his shoulder. To his relief she finally wrapped her arms about him in return. Raph took that as a cue to tighten his hold on her, Tau following suit until they were stood locked in a strong embrace.

"I'm sorry." Tau eventually whispered; her face still buried against his neck.  
"Shhh." soothed Raph. "You've got nothin' to be sorry for."  
"It just seems like I've done nothing but cry on your shoulder or yell at you these past few days." murmured Tau ruefully. Raph took his time to answer;  
"It's ok. This trip _has_ been pretty nuts. I know it's been hard on you...; although I_could_ live without the 'yelling' part."

They shared a weak little chuckle, Tau ending it with a small shake of her head as she lifted it off his shoulder.  
"_Everything_ has seemed a little nuts since my folks died. And these last four months living with you guys has been... Well it _has_ been great for the most part, but I just never know what to expect next!" she explained with a shrug. "Least of all that I'd ever end up... killing anyone." Tau paused to swallow thickly and look Raph in the eye. "Is it always like this? Does it ever get any easier?" she asked plaintively.

Raph felt a little taken aback, not sure how to interpret her question. Particularly since he couldn't think of any argument against it; _he_ was guilty of wondering how life with his family could get so insane at times.  
"Which one? Livin' with us, or killing people?" he put frankly. Tau considered a moment.  
"Both." she whispered tentatively.  
"Nope." blunt.  
"Which one?" Tau queried, a confused furrow starting on her brow.  
"Both." stated Raph.  
"Oh."

Their hold on each other had loosened as they had spoken, Raph shifting backwards slightly in order to gauge the reaction on Taus' face to his revelation. She had dipped her head a little, her brow still knit as she contemplated his answers. It was then that he noticed that she was holding her right hand angled away from him, only her fore-arm touching his side where her arm had slipped from being wrapped around his shell.

Worried she might be injured, Raph grasped her wrist to bring her hand around for him to inspect.  
"Don't!" gasped Tau, failing to break his hold on her arm as she attempted to tug free.  
"Why not? Are you hurt?" he demanded, unable to see anything wrong other than some scrapes and bruising on her knuckles.  
"No. But it feels... horrid! Like it's still covered in..." she recoiled from her own limb. "Don't touch it!" she snapped.

Deliberately ignoring her order, Raph held her wrist captive with one hand to clasp her hand with his other. Tau gave a whimper in dismay, again trying to pull away from him.  
"I told you before," he scolded lightly, "Whatever you've touched; you can bet my hands have been in worse."  
"But you're honourable...! AH!" she cried as he almost tugged her off her feet, using his grip on her arm to pull her nose-to-beak.  
"So are you." Raph resolutely emphasised. "You have nothing to feel guilty, or 'dirty' for. Got it?" his tone almost threatening.

Tau stared at him wide-eyed before giving a hesitant nod. Not convinced she actually believed him, Raphs' face softened. He let go her hand to brush her cheek.  
"Besides, you're too beautiful to be 'dirty'." he whispered. Tau blushed deeply, despite giving a humourless laugh.  
"I don't _feel_ beautiful." she murmured, avoiding his eyes as her lower lip started to quiver slightly.  
"Well, you must be." asserted Raph. "Otherwise you wouldn't have..." for once he managed to stop his tongue before it tasted his foot. Tau had just been complaining about having to cope with his family and lifestyle, the **last** thing he wanted to do now was bring up Iago and remind her there was another guy she could have her pick of.

"'Wouldn't have...'?" prompted Tau timidly, searching his face in concern for his abrupt silence. Not sure what to say to salvage the situation, Raph opted instead for pressing a light kiss to her cheek.  
"Th...thank you!" flustered Tau as he met her eyes again, her cheeks an even deeper shade of crimson than before.  
"Better now?" he asked, trying to make it sound half in jest. Giving a crooked little smile, Tau nodded.  
"A little..." her concession almost lost to a huge yawn that overcame her.

"Sorry!" she offered with a contrite grin, Raph waving her apology away as he too succumbed to a yawn.  
"It's been a long night." he smiled. He glanced out of the ragged hole in the cabin wall to see the sky was a washed out blue, still tinged pink with the last vestige of the dawn. "C'mon." invited Raph, leading the way over to the bed to sit on its' edge. Tau sighed in relief as she slumped down to sit next to him, soon stifling another yawn.

They both fidgeted a moment, unsure where to go from here.  
"Thank you." Tau murmured sincerely.  
"For what?" asked Raph, a little short. His mind cringed from his expectation that Tau was about to call him her 'friend' yet again.  
"For putting up with me, to help me through all this." she gave a little, self-effacing chuckle. "You must think I'm a wuss for freaking out like this."

"No. I think you've handled it pretty well, considering." replied Raph.  
"'Considering' what?" queried Tau.  
"How others have reacted, the first time they did someone in." shrugged Raph. "At least you didn't puke your guts up. Donnie did that, like he'd been taking notes from 'The Exorcist'!"  
"Really?" Tau was a little dubious.  
"Yep. And Mike, he snuck in to sleep with Master Splinter for almost a _week_! So, you haven't done too badly really." Raph encouraged with a smile.

"What about you? And Leo? How did you react?" asked Tau quietly. Raph gave a derisive grunt.  
"Leo just did his 'zen' thing; went and meditated more than usual for a few days and was just 'fine an' dandy' again after that. But he and I; I guess we 'got it' before the other two did. We had it figured that what Sensei was teaching us wasn't just a game to keep us busy. It was serious stuff to keep us safe; ya know? That, to protect our family, it might take having to hurt someone else."

"So, what did _you_ do?" pressed Tau. Raph looked away from her.  
"Just..." he gave a shrug of one shoulder, "...dealt with it."  
"Oh."

With a furtive glance, Raph checked on Tau. It was odd, she hadn't moved away from him at all. Yet her dejected murmur, and the way her shoulders slumped as she stared off in the opposite direction, made him feel as if a gap were opening between them. His tired mind scrabbled for a way to make amends. For what, he wasn't sure. And that didn't help matters.

"It never gets easy, but the first one is always the hardest." he admitted cautiously. "After that, the worst thing is the faces. You never forget 'em. Even the ones that happen in such a blur you don't register what you've done at the time. Sooner or later, they all come back to... haunt you."  
"All of them?" Tau asked, peering over her shoulder.  
"Yeah." Raph gave a slow nod. "They give me... nightmares, sometimes."

An uneasy silence lingered, neither willing to be caught out looking at the other.  
"Will you see the face of the man who had me caught by the mast?" whispered Tau.  
"Yeah, but I don't mind. There's not many I really regret, and I he's one I certainly don't. I'd rather put up with the memory of his ugly mug than see you get hurt."  
"Really?" Tau faced him again, her expression a mix of sympathy and remorse.  
"'course." grunted Raph, turning his head further away, refusing her pity.

He resisted the urge to look back at her as she laid a hand lightly on his bicep. Until she began to trace the contours of his muscles, slowly moving down towards his hand. Tau lingered over the improvised linen dressings bound around his fore-arm.  
"I've been so selfish." she murmured, ashamed. "You've been hurt much more than me."  
"It looks worse than it is." countered Raph, something urging him to keep his tone soft. "And I'm used to this kinda thing now. You're not; gotta expect it to affect you a bit."

Taus' gaze slid away, then back to his arm as she continued her explorations. A furrow started on her brow, deepening as she ran her fingertip beside a deep abrasion on the back of his hand. She 'tsked' lightly as she turned his hand over, finding numerous cuts etched across his palm and fingers. As much as he wanted to, Raph couldn't turn away as Tau looked to his face again. Her expression was sorrowful, but not piteous. There was something else in her eyes; a realisation.

"I never really understood just what... a fight can cost you." she admitted quietly. "With all the training I've had, with how my Dad lives, I _thought_ I did..." Tau petered out, sounding lost as a bad cut just below Raphs' mask caught her eye.  
"Wouldn't do it, if it weren't worth it." murmured Raph softly. He watched in fascination as she lifted his hand, to press a light kiss to his palm.

Tau then reached to slowly run her fingertips along a new gouge in his plastron, Raph noticing the small nicks in her fingers as she did so. Gently capturing her hand with his own, Raph drew it to his own lips. Tau leaned into him as he wrapped an arm about her waist, her own arm snaking around his shoulders. Both craving the tender contact after their turbulent evening, they held each other close; cheek to cheek.

It seemed a natural progression to Raph; starting to press soft, lingering kisses along Taus' neck and jaw-line as they cuddled. Tau didn't seem to disapprove, doing nothing to stop him and even making a light touch of her lips beside the wound edging his mask. However, Raph couldn't relax completely; keeping one eye trained on the door for the intrusion he was sure would come any moment now. The only question he had was; who would come bursting into the cabin? One of his brothers? That might not be good. But what if it was Iago? Raph figured that could very well work in his favour.

Easily persuading himself that the Spaniard was the most likely to walk in on them, Raphs' lips ventured closer to Taus'. For once she didn't turn away. Risking a soft touch to her mouth, Raphs' breath hitched as Tau timidly returned his kiss for a moment, only to break it off to drop her head in diffidence.  
"Wha...?" breathed Raph, scowling in confusion.  
"I'm sorry." Tau interrupted; her own voice low. "It's not like I don't want to." she assured quickly, refusing to meet his eyes. "It's... just..." her voice waivered slightly as she petered out. Gingerly she rested her forehead on his shoulder, tightening her arms about him slightly.

Unsure what else to do, Raph instinctively held her a little closer. Tau responded with a small sigh; yawning as she nestled herself further against his side. Utterly puzzled by her behaviour, Raph found himself looking over her shoulder, glancing about the cabin as he tried to decipher Taus' meaning. If she _wanted_ to kiss him, why the hell wasn't she?

Without thinking, his eyes came to rest on her dirty clothes, the large jacket sitting at the bottom of the pile in particular. A sudden apprehension welled up inside Raph, convincing him that this may be his last chance to win Tau back. He began to work his jaw as his fatigued, panicked mind scrabbled for something to say; something witty or charming, or anything he could offer Tau that Iago couldn't. Raph could feel his heartbeat starting to pound against his rib-cage as his brain continued to draw a blank.

At that moment the entire ship shuddered violently, accompanied by an awful wrenching creak that had them both staring at the door in alarm.  
"What the heck was_that_!?" gasped Tau, eyes wide with fear.  
"Dunno. Let me go check." Raph grasped her by the shoulders to get her to release her anxious grip on him. "Just don't... don't _go_ anywhere, 'k? I'll be right back." he asserted, looking her square in the eye.  
"'k." replied Tau in a whisper, a little taken aback by his intensity. Overcoming his reluctance to leave her, Raph forced himself to walk away.

Raph jerked his head back in surprise as he opened the cabin door; Leo stood directly before him, hand raised to knock.  
"Are you both okay?" asked Leo, concerned for the look on his brothers' face that was quickly clouding to a dark scowl.  
"Yeah. What the hell just happened?" Raph demanded.  
"Sorry, I should have warned you." offered Leo. "This ship is barely seaworthy anymore, so we've loaded all the natives onto that other boat that rammed us. We just disengaged them so they can get underway." he pointed over his shoulder to the large vessel now floating clear.

"We're not goin' with 'em?" queried Raph.  
"We'll be following behind on the Halcon del Mar." Leo explained. "The natives are pretty crowded on their boat as it is, and Captain Iago could use some help manning his ship."  
"Yeah." Raph muttered darkly. "Well, Iago can go fuck himse..."  
"He is _still_ our ally Raph." Leo cut him off sternly.  
"Whatever." grumbled Raph, starting to close the door.

"How is Tau?" Leo pressed, stopping the door with his foot.  
"Tau _was_ doing just fine!" Raph snapped in sarcasm. Leo opened his mouth to apologise for giving the girl another scare, when something in the dark glower his brother was treating him to gave him pause. He shifted to one side, Raph shifted as well. Leo shifted back, tilting his head to peer past Raphs' shoulder. Again his brother blocked his view. Leos' foot started to ache from the pressure the door was asserting upon it.

"We have to make a move Raph." Leo stated levelly.  
"Just give us a few minutes, will ya?" insisted Raph.  
"What for?" asked Leo, his tone now wary.  
"Tau's not ready."  
"What do you mean 'not ready'? Are you saying she isn't dressed?!" Leo fell into dire interrogation mode.  
"Of course she is!" snarled Raph.

"Hey." Tau interrupted softly, placing with a soothing hand on Raphs' arm and offering a weak smile to both turtles. "I'm fine. And I'm ok to go now Raph, really." she emphasised as his scowl turned to an uncertain grimace.  
"Good." deadpanned Leo, treating the pair to a sceptical glare, his eyes coming to rest on his brother. "Tau was so upset; I _thought_ I could trust you not to take advantage of the situation Raph. So I've already given you as much time as possible. I've even gotten Don settled over on the Halcon del Mar, though you and Mike should have told me earlier how badly he was hurt. If we don't move now..."  
"Donnie's hurt?!" Tau gasped, cutting short Leos' lecture. "We gotta go!" she urged Raph, tugging lightly on his arm as she squeezed past him.

"Aren't you forgetting your clothes Tau?" queried Leo pointedly, eyeing the over-large nightshirt she was wearing. He quirked an eye-ridge as Tau froze in response, the colour seeping from her face as her gaze flickered back into the cabin.  
"Don't worry about it Tau." assured Raph, grasping her arm. "Leo will fetch them."  
"I will?" exclaimed Leo dubiously. "I need to pick up the Log Book, what makes you think I'm going to carry..."  
"_Her clothes are all soaked in blood, Leo!_" Raph hissed in Japanese. "_She made her first kill last night. I don't think making her touch them again right now is a good idea. Do you?!_"

Tau followed the hushed conversation between the two turtles with her eyes, unable to understand what they were saying. To her Leo seemed surprised at first; then he looked her way with his face full of compassion.  
"What are you guys talking about?" she asked hesitantly, dreading she already knew the answer.  
"Nothin'." answered Raph, forcing a smile.  
"I'll bring everything; you two go check on Don for me. Okay?" suggested Leo, with a brittle grin and exaggerated nod of encouragement.

"I _am_ quite capable of carrying my own gear, you know." asserted Tau, with a touch of petulance and a slight scowl for both turtles.  
"Not this time!" Raph scooped an arm about her waist as she tried to push past him back into the cabin.  
"But...!" Tau protested; her feet skimmed the decking as he swept her about to set her facing away from the cabin door. Raph kept his firm hold on her as he started to 'guide' Tau towards the Halcon del Mar.  
"Just let Leo do it, will ya?"  
"You don't have to patronise me..."  
"I'm not! Chances to get Leo to do our chores are few an' far between. I'm not gonna pass any of 'em up!"

Leo found himself slowly shaking his head, an odd half-smile on his face as he watched the pair walk away. Tau gave a scoff before giving her retort to continue their bickering, neither of the couple using much vitriol to make their points. Shaking himself out of his brief reverie, Leo figured he was merely relieved he had almost mis-judged his brother. It seemed the trust he had placed in Raph to not push any limits while he was alone with the girl had been well placed, for once.

------- -------

A/N2: A couple of points of clarification;

'Dettol' is a mild, watery antiseptic solution that doesn't seem to be available in the US, as far as my research indicates. Here in Oz it's a staple of the home first-aid kit. It also doubles as a household disinfectant for cleaning floors and surfaces and is even available in the form of a hand-wash gel. In its original form it is a clear liquid with a brownish tinge, that doesn't leave a stain after being applied. And has a very distinctive and rather pleasant smell. Another stronger antiseptic that I sometimes refer to in my stories is 'Betadine'. I've recently learned (with much thanks to Arty) that in the US that antiseptic is known as 'Iodine'.

'Vitriol' means to attack bitterly in speech or writing. So whilst Raph and Tau were bickering at the end of this chapter, they were doing so fairly light-heartedly, with no real anger or harsh sarcasm in their voices.


	12. Chapter 12

A/N: Holy crud, I didn't realise until I was uploading this chapter that it was January the last time I posted anything for this story!! How the heck did that happen? Vast apologies to everyone that has been waiting so long, and much love to those who haven't given up on me yet! The good news is that the next chapter just needs some minor post-beta tweaking before I can get that one up. And the three chapters after that shouldn't be far off either. I'm actually very close to finishing this story writing-wise, so if I leave any updates for this long again you have every right to chase me down and beat me with soggy lettuce.

RAPHAELFAN02 – Thank you so much for another inspiring review. Luvs ya chica.

Jeffhardy136 – Thankin' you muchly for your review! So would I, -sigh- so would I… ;D

artykidd – I owe you a huge debt of gratitude for going to such lengths to beta this story for me. Much love chica, much love. -hugs-

DISCLAIMER: I don't own the TMNT, or any related characters (much to their relief, I'm sure!) If there is anything else in this story you recognise from somewhere else, then I don't own that either.

-- --

With the hefty Log Book tucked under one arm, Leo hurriedly made his way on-board the Halcon del Mar. He hoped to get below before the soggy bundle of Taus' clothes leaked through the satchel he had slung over his shoulder. To his surprise he caught up with Raph and Tau, talking with Kirabo beside the hatch.  
"But it's my Captains' order, my Lady." begged the boy.  
"Too bad." snapped Raph. "Tell your '_Captain_' he can shove his order up his..."  
"Raph!" Tau interrupted, with a slight scowl in reprimand for the turtle. She turned back to Kirabo with a kind smile. "Tell Iago that I appreciate his offer. But I'm not really a part of his crew, so..."

"What's happening here?" queried Leo, wondering why Captain Reyes had sent his Cabin Boy to give orders in his stead.  
"Iago has asked..." started Tau.  
"That turd wants Tau to sleep in his cabin again!" Raph exclaimed, talking over the top of the girl. "He's sayin' that the lower decks are 'too damaged to accommodate a Lady'." he sneered in sarcasm.  
"And that she should stay away from Edgardo." pipped up Kirabo. "For her own safety, as well as his."

"Wha...? Why?" asked Raph, the quirk in his eye-ridge mirrored by his brother as they both looked to the girl.  
"Oh. Um. I kinda had a... 'falling out', with Edgardo before." Tau explained, a little contritely. "But I'm not planning to go anywhere near him anyway! Please Leo." she petitioned. "I promise I won't be any trouble. I don't want to be... alone just yet." she murmured plaintively, grasping Raphs' hand tighter as she shifted closer to him, seeking protection.

Raph wrapped a consoling arm about the girls' shoulders as Leo looked back to Kirabo.  
"But Sir!" argued the boy. "My Captain gave me an order! To make sure the Lady was safe and comfortable."  
"I understand that." said Leo, gripping Kirabos' arm lightly in assurance. "But Tau is ultimately my responsibility, not your Captains'. She stays with us. I'll make sure Captain Reyes understands this isn't your fault, alright?" he offered with a smile. "Where is he, by the way?"

Kirabo shuffled nervously before seeming to accept Leos' word, moving out of the way to allow Raph and Tau easy access to the hatch.  
"The Captain is busy repairing the ship so we can get underway." he explained, pointing to the rigging overhead. High in the ropes, partially hidden by an expanse of ragged canvas, it wasn't too difficult with the aid of the early morning sun to pick out Iago and Nataniel straining to lift a replacement yard-arm into place. Leo nodded his understanding.  
"I'll just get my brothers' settled. Then I'll come back up to talk to your Captain, sort this all out and give him any help that I can with repairs. I won't be long, I promise." he assured the boy, stepping onto the ladder set below the hatch.

"Tau!" exclaimed Mike, propping himself up on one elbow, peering over Don lying in the hammock slung next to him. Mike gave a huge yawn before being able to continue. "You holding up ok babe?"  
"Yeah, I'm okay Mikey." nodded Tau, giving a quick, brave grin before she and Raph ducked under the first two empty hammocks strung across the room. Straightening beside Don, Tau immediately placed a concerned hand on the dozing turtles' arm. "I heard you didn't fare so well though?" she queried softly.

"I'll be fine." murmured Don with a slow smile. "Only a bit of bruising really; nothing a good rest won't heal."  
"Yes, well, you _should_ have been resting much sooner." Leo scolded lightly from the doorway.  
"What happened to you?" Tau asked of Don.  
"It was my own fault really." the brainiac admitted sheepishly. "I..."  
"He caught a blow across his chest." Raph bluntly interjected. "Nothing broken, so let's just..."

"Yeah, you should check out his plastron, matches his mask now!" Mike added, wondering why Raph shot him a glare as Tau gave a little gasp.  
"Let me look." she ordered Don, gently pulling his blanket loose despite his token efforts to hinder her.  
"Tau, don't." ordered Raph, ignored completely by the girl.

"Oh my God, Don!" she fretted, her face draining of colour as she uncovered the wide, dark welts banding across the turtles' chest. For a few moments her hands dithered between covering her gaping mouth and reaching timidly towards the badly injured turtle, never actually touching him.  
"Tau?" queried Don, his concern growing as she suddenly turned away to bury her face in Raphs' shoulder.

His hands full as he tried to console the girl with a hug, Raph shot Leo a significant look. A brief, silent exchange of prompts and scowls later; Leo conceded to explaining the basics of the situation to his brothers using sign language.  
"Oh crud! Tau...!" Mike let slip, quickly taking heed of Raphs' dire glare to slap a hand over his mouth.  
"What?" asked Tau, lifting her head to roughly knuckle her face.  
"I, uh, I saved you a bunk! Right over here, next to mine!" Mike invited with a sweep of his hand and an over-bright smile.

A deep furrow etched Taushas' brow, confused at Mikes' sudden change in tone, and at the fact there were still four empty hammocks for her to choose from.  
"Okaaay. Thank you Mike." she said slowly, turning her attention back to Don and missing yet another silent exchange, this one conveying a definite threat of violence resulting in Mike hiding behind his covers. "I am sorry Don. I've just... seen a lot today." explained Tau sheepishly; grateful he had already covered his wounds with his blanket once more.

"It's alright, I understand." assured the genius, giving her a sad smile. Returning his look, Tau gently tucked his blanket back in around him.  
"You do need to rest." she asserted softly, resting a hand on his cheek. "If you need anything, anything at all, I'm here to help. Even if you have to wake me, ok?" she emphasized.  
"You need your rest too..." Don tried to point out.  
"O.K?" Tau stressed, cutting him off.  
"Heh, ok." conceded Don.

"C'mon Tau, Don's fine for now. And we need to get some sleep." urged Raph, guiding her to duck under his brothers' bunks with a firm hand wrapped around her hip. As they straightened, stood between two empty hammocks, Mike dared to drop his defensive cover. Meanwhile Leo started a muted conversation with Don, helping his wounded brother to slip off his bandanna.  
"Here." invited Raph, making a point of patting the bed set furthest from his brothers. "Hop up and I'll help sort out your blankets."

Tau glanced nervously at the rest of the room beyond the hammock Raph was offering her. Despite sleeping in that corner previously, without a lantern set there, it now seemed somehow threatening to her. The shadows cast by the crates, the low creak of the hull timbers and the curvature of the room gave her the impression of a great maw lolling open.  
"Um, if you don't mind? I think I'd rather sleep in this one." Tau shuffled over to the hammock strung next to Mikes', offering Raph an apologetic smile. The hot-head gave her a strained smile and nod in reply, making an effort to ignore the way Mike perked up with a huge smile.

"I'm sorry." Tau mumbled, griping Raphs' hand tight. "I just don't want to be... on the outer."  
"It's ok." Raph grumped. Ignoring the scowl he was directing at the ground, Tau wrapped her arms around him, giving his cheek a light kiss before hugging him close. Feeling his resentment begin to melt, Raph returned her embrace. He rolled his eyes as he spotted his brother jigging with excitement, a massive grin plastered on his face and giving two 'thumbs up'; until a protest from his stomach at the motion forced Mike to wrap one hand across his midriff.

"Ow!" whispered Mike; dropping the thumb he was still holding up with an overdramatic frown for his interfering brother, nursing the hand Leo had whipped lightly with the tip of Dons' mask. Mike gave up his dark look for a sheepish one, almost ducking under his blankets again at the reprimanding glare Leo shot him in retort.

Breathing a sigh through his nose, Raph closed his eyes to savour holding Tau close to his chest; despairing over his lost opportunity to win her back for keeps. Failing to stifle a yawn, and not wanting Leo to ruin their moment, Raph released his hold, only to find himself still trapped within Taus' hug.

"C'mon. It's time we got some sleep." he murmured, gently rubbing his hands up and down her arms. Tau nodded against his neck, but didn't relax her grip. Out of the corner of his eye, Raph spotted Leo giving them a concerned look and starting to slow-step towards the foot of Dons' hammock, where it was easiest to duck through. Not in the mood to deal with his brothers' imminent intervention, Raph scooped Tau up to deposit her upon the hammock.

"Huh?" she queried, lifting her head to give Raph a quizzical look, leaving her arms locked around his neck.  
"Time for sleep." he reiterated, using a gentle but firm grip to break her hold on him and guide her to lie back on the bed. Despite nodding again, Tau gripped his hand tightly as Raph let go her arms. She gave him a brief, anxious glance before she dropped her gaze.

"You'll be ok." Raph assured softly.  
"I know." admitted Tau. "It's just..." she ended with a sad grimace, drawing a breath that shuddered slightly. Leaning close, Raph tenderly ran his fingers down her cheek, relieved to see her give him a small smile in return.

"Do you want me to... stay?" he offered tentatively. Taus' eyes lit, Leo interrupting before she could say a word;  
"Of course you will be staying," the leader stated in a no-nonsense tone, "In the hammock next to hers. There isn't room for two in these beds, for a start Raph." Leo pointed out emphatically, making it clear that was the least of his reasons to raise an objection.

"It's ok." breathed Tau, distracting Raph from glaring at this brother. She let go his hand and made a show of relaxing back on the canvas supporting her. However, Raph could clearly see the tension still set in her frame regardless. "I'll be ok." she assured bravely, demurely dipping her head to avoid both Raph and Leos' eyes.

"I do think it best Tau stays with us for now." Leo began; his tone still severe. "_Don't_ prove me wrong, Raph."  
"Or _what_, Leo?" Raph retorted in sarcasm as he draped a woollen blanket over Tau. "Worried you won't get a perfect report card for this little field trip?"

Seeing Tau curl tighter under her covers, Leo opted to switch to Japanese to spare her the worst of the quarrel. Raph followed his brothers' lead in changing language, even as he stalked to the foot of her bed to snarl his response. They traded arguments and insults for a few minutes before Tau suddenly sat up to treat them both to a glare.  
"Will you two stop!" she snapped in exasperation. "As far as I'm concerned Raph was only offering me his support as a _friend_, Leo. He's already proven to me today that he's willing to consider my feelings over his after what happened last night. And what on Earth do you think we would be getting up to with two other people in the room anyway?! So please, just let it go?" she begged. "Haven't you had enough of fighting for one day...?" she muttered brokenly, tossing herself back down to bury her face in her pillow and roughly pulling her blanket high over her shoulders.

Leo was a little taken aback. Not only by Taus' outburst, but by the hurt expression it caused on Raphs' face before his brother swiftly turned his back to hide it.  
"Alright, I suppose you do have a point." Leo conceded quietly. "I want you all to get some sleep." he instructed, hefting the Log Book under his arm again. He waited until he'd gotten a murmured affirmation from Don and Mike, and a harsh grunt from Raph as he settled himself heavily in his hammock, shell to Tau and his brothers. Figuring Tau wasn't going to give him an answer at all Leo left the room, gently pulling the door closed behind him.

Mike was struggling to keep his eyes open, but was trying to keep a watch on Tau. He grew worried when she hadn't moved at all in the few minutes since Leo had left, her face still buried in her pillow.  
"Hey babe, you ok?" he finally asked softly. Taus' blankets shifted as she took a deep breath before facing him with red-rimmed eyes.  
"Yeah." she murmured. "Leo has a knack of making me feel like he thinks I'm some kinda… hussy. I don't know if he means that or not, but I just didn't need it today. The last thing I want is more emotional stuff to deal with. And while I've really appreciated Raph being there for me, the only person I'd like to hug more right now is… my Dad." she admitted, her voice starting to crack. "I want to know he's ok. I don't think about him that much usually, but I do miss him. And I don't like to… Sometimes I feel I'm being a bit…" she heaved a despondent sigh. "It's just another thing that makes things complicated, for me and Raph."

Mike furrowed his brow in confusion, wondering why Tau was suddenly talking nonsense about Hun. He was still trying to think of a way to answer her, distracted by the nausea growing in his gut as the last of his nights' adrenaline gave way to exhaustion. Mike was stifling a long yawn, when he heard her dejected whisper;  
"I'm sorry. I guess you're not interested in hearing about my Dad, huh."  
"No. It's ok to talk about him." Mike was quick to assure. "Ok, babe?" he prompted after a moments silence.  
"Ok." murmured Tau. "Thanks."

More than two hours had passed when Leo cautiously slipped back in through the door. To his relief he could see everyone was sound asleep, safe in their own bunks. Silently he stole to the end of the room to hide the Log Book away behind the crates, taking a moment to check on each brother and Tau as he returned to the first hammock strung across the cabin. Only Raph stirred slightly as Leo moved about the room.

His muscles fatigued from his many recent battles, Leo felt his arms tremble in protest as he hauled himself into his bed. The conflict he'd had to deal with hadn't stopped with his argument with Raph and Tau. When he had stepped back out onto the main deck of the Halcon del Mar to speak with the Captain, he had quickly realised that the natives' vessel was close to disappearing on the horizon, at a right angle to his own boat.

Managing to find Iago and demand what was going on, Leo had had to resort to threatening to toss the Log Book overboard if the Halcon del Mar did not change course to follow the freed islanders. Apparently Iago had intended to confront the Commissionaire as soon as possible, rather than worrying over escorting the natives safely home. It was a plan Leo had seriously disagreed with. As far as the turtle was concerned, the natives were still his responsibility until he was sure they had been returned safely.

Iago had finally conceded to Leos' wishes, and then had set the turtle to sawing planks to help patch the worst of the damage to the hull. The hard work, and Caribbean sun beating on the back of his neck, had quickly drained the last of Leos' energy reserves. Try as he might to keep one eye open as his body slumped in achy relief upon the canvas of his hammock, he was soon snoring lightly.

-- --

"I might not always agree with your methods. But I must admit, you did a good job of getting Tau to cope with what happened yesterday." grunted Leo, the strain of pulling on the rope forcing him to speak through gritted teeth.  
"Huh?" replied Raph, distracted as he was in adding his own strength to the task of hoisting the sail, whilst balanced beside his brother on a narrow yard-arm 40 feet above the rolling deck of the Halcon del Mar.

Feeling he didn't have enough breath at that moment to repeat himself, Leo simply tipped his head downwards. Raph followed the gesture to see Tau stood on the deck below, leaning over a barrel in which she was washing her clothes. She was making a good attempt at it, despite her obvious revulsion at placing her hands in the red-tinged water. Not surprisingly, she was also taking a lot of care to keep the long nightshirt she wore from getting too wet as she worked. However, that didn't stop her from slipping something up her sleeve that Raph couldn't make out, fetched from the pocket of her sodden jeans.

Catching his breath back after tying off the rope, Raph shook his head.  
"She shouldn't be doing that. Didn't Mikey offer to clean her stuff?" he puffed.  
"That was before he smelled that stew Amadika brought down for us." nodded Leo. "Mike hasn't exactly been capable of doing much since then. At least looking after him and Don has given Tau something else to focus on, maybe that has helped."  
"Yeah, maybe." shrugged Raph. "Or else she's just too pig-headed to let it get to her for too long." he shook his head, missing Leos' quizzical look.

A movement below caught Leos' eye. Tau abruptly left her washing to rush over to the other side of the deck. Leo followed her with his gaze, not surprised to see her join Mike as his brother leaned far over the railing yet again.  
"I hope we find some way of getting home soon." Leo murmured, following Raph along the spar to the ropes leading back down to the deck. "Or off this boat, at least."  
"Hell yes." grunted Raph, pausing at the top of the rope ladder as he spied Nataniel walking over to speak to Tau.

The girl frowned a little at the start of her conversation with the First Mate, her look quickly softening. Then, despite Mike gripping her arm and shaking his head, she gave a grudging nod. Curious, Raph and Leo slid quickly down the ropes, approaching as the Spaniard walked away to overhear Mike and Tau talking as they leaned upon the rail;  
"You should never have agreed to go alone Tau!"  
"It's only dinner, so Iago can _apologise_. I don't see what the drama is."  
"What if he tries to make a move on you again, huh?"  
"I think Raph made it pretty clear to him that when I say 'no', it means no." Tau gave a chuckle. "And I can also see why that would make Iago a bit wary of speaking to me with you guys around. I haven't seen him at all since Raph hit him."

"Ahem." Both Mike and Tau jumped at the sound of Leo clearing his throat behind them.  
"Hey bro!" exclaimed Mike, his over-wide grin brittle in the face of Leos' cool look over his crossed arms and Raphs' dark scowl.  
"G'day guys." greeted Tau, her smile quickly growing uncertain.  
"You're going on a dinner date with Iago?" Leo cut straight to the point.  
"Huh?" Tau face-faulted. "_**No!**_ I'm having dinner _with_ Iago. It is _not_ a 'date'. Gees, like I'd go on a date wearing this!" she pointed out sarcastically, tugging on the front of the grubby dress-like shirt she was wearing. "And looking like this!" she waved her hands about her hair that was hopelessly mussed and tangled by the ocean breeze. "And with _him_." she flung a hand towards the Captains' cabin.

"Then why are you going at all?" probed Leo.  
"Because, as you said yourself; he is still our ally." explained Tau. "Goodness knows how much longer we might be stuck here, and perhaps Iago has realised he could do with mending some bridges. Nataniel did say Iago wanted to make amends for yesterday. It would be petty of me to turn him down, don'cha think?"

Leo considered her argument then fixed Tau with a stern look.  
"That may be true. But why is he insisting you go alone? I'm not sure you can trust him Tau."  
"Maybe he thinks I'm the least likely to punch him." shrugged Tau, unable to suppress a cheeky gleam in her eye. "Seriously though, if he says or does anything I don't agree with, I'll simply walk out of there. Ok? You guys don't have anything to worry about." she assured, making a point of looking Raph in the eye.

"Whatever." snarled the hot-head. "You just do whatever the hell you wanna do. 'k? 'cos it has nothin' to do with me!" he turned on his heel and stalked away.  
"Hey!" Tau stepped after him. "It's not like that! I…" she was brought to a halt by a curt wave of Raphs' hand, though he didn't bother to stop walking.  
"Don't wanna hear it." he growled over his shoulder, jumping down the hatch to slam the wooden door behind himself.

Tau stood listless on the deck, her head and shoulders slumped. Until the sound of Mike dry-retching once more reached her. Taking a deep breath that seemed to reinflate her body, she set her shoulders straight and headed back to comfort her sea-sick friend.

-- --

Returning from a stint of gagging over the side-rail, Mike got down on hands and knees to duck under the light shining from Iagos' cabin window. "Oh. My. God! She's _dancing_ with him now?!" exclaimed Mike, struggling to keep his voice hushed as he peered over the window ledge.  
"Don't be stupid." snapped Raph, sat with his back to the wall in the shadows under the stairway to the aft deck. "How can they be dancing when they don't have any music? Idiot."  
"I dunno! But that's what it looks like to me. You should come look!" Mike tugged on his brothers' shoulder. With a grimace, Raph figured he may as well. Otherwise Mike would just keep bugging him. Not that he wanted to look. He hadn't wanted to look for the past hour or so.

The expression of contrite sympathy he had seen on Taus' face, when she'd first noticed the livid bruising marring Iagos' left eye, had stunned Raph. The 'sorry' she had quickly offered the Captain, easy for Raph to read on her lips, had left him feeling sick to his stomach. Then he'd pretty much lost interest in seeing anymore after the point Tau had started to smile and nod readily at some rubbish the Spaniard had been spouting.

Creeping up to the window to crouch beside his brother, Raph cautiously took a look for himself.  
"Fuck it!" he cursed under his breath. Why the hell did Mike have to be right? Sure enough, there was Tau; her hand held high where Iago grasped it as she hesitantly followed him through what could only be dance steps. She must have put a foot wrong, because she stumbled slightly. Tau took a few steps back from Iago, laughing. But didn't seem fazed when he sauntered over to clasp her hand again, easily leading her back to the middle of the cabin to try the intricate steps again.

"Damn, I wish I could hear what they were saying." moaned Mike, for the hundredth time since they had started spying on the pair almost two hours ago. Raph rolled his eyes, pried his fingers from the white-knuckle grip he had on the window sill and crawled back to his hiding spot under the stair. His head was killing him, his jaw clenched so tight he felt he could barely breathe. _That_ was why his eyes were watering occasionally, he was sure of it.

"Uh-oh! C'mon!" Mike whacked Raph lightly on the shoulder. "They're coming out!" Mike dashed away to his usual spot at the railing. Grumbling, Raph slouched after his brother, walking past him to take up his position 'comforting' Mike. Not that he offered much comfort, leaning his shell against the rail as he crossed his arms and glared at the main mast.

"Thank you again for agreeing to do this." Iagos' voice reached the turtles as the cabin door opened. "You are an exceptionally brave and admiral woman."  
"Oh." Tau waved his compliment away. "It's nothing really. I'm just so glad I can actually _do_ something to help!"  
"Well, it will most certainly leave me in your debt." bowed Iago, taking the opportunity to scoop up her hand and bring it to his lips. Tau tugged it free before he managed to kiss it. "I cannot show my appreciation?" he queried, a little put out.  
"I'm sure you can think of some other way to do that." Tau pointed out lightly.

"I'm sure I can." grinned the Captain, Tau giving a slow shake of her head in reply. "But for now, I will bid you a good night, my dear Lady." Iago gave another, flamboyant bow as he slowly drew his door closed.  
"Good night!" lilted Tau, a smile clear on her face as she turned to walk down the deck. She'd only taken a few steps when she spotted the two turtles; her smile quickly fell to a look of concern.

"Hey guys, how're you holding up Mikey?" she asked as she walked over to run a hand down Mikes' carapace.  
"Fine!" Mike retorted, giving a little pout. "How was your _date_?" he prodded with light sarcasm.  
"Tch!" Tau rolled her eyes. "I told you, it wasn't a date. And it wasn't! Iago actually did apologise to me for being so forward before. We reached a bit of an understanding on that. And…"

"Yeah. It's clear you two 'understand' each other damn well!" growled Raph.  
"What do you mean by that?" countered Tau, her tone defensive.  
"What the fuck do you think I mean?! You two were getting damn cosy together in there!"  
"What?! I barely touched him! And how do you know… Were you spying on me?" she demanded in exasperation.

"We only wanted to make sure you were ok." put in Mike. He followed it up with a grunt and a sickly groan as Raph shoved a hand on his brothers' shell, inadvertently pushing him back over the railing, stepping up to get in Taus' face.  
"I don't trust that snot as far as I could chew him up an' spit him!" snarled Raph. "But I thought I could trust you!"

"You can!" argued Tau. "Iago has only offered me an opportunity to actually help with all this. There's a ball happening soon. And if I can…"  
"A ball?" Raph eyed her dubiously, confusion written on his face.  
"Yeah. You know, like getting dressed up and going dancing?" Tau patronized. "Anyway, it's in honour of one of the Kings' representatives that will be leaving for Spain shortly. If we don't get the Log Book to him before he leaves, it could be _months_ before Iago gets another chance to prove his case against Commissionaire Gutierrez. And… What?" she asked, a little tentatively as the low, sustained growl from Raph finally registered with her.

"You're going to some fucking _dance_ with him now?" he ground out between clenched teeth.  
"I, uh, well yeah… I guess. But, if I don't then…" she petered out as Raph held up a hand for silence, his face twisted in a grimace.  
"Yeah, I know. You don't get to go to fancy shit like that livin' with us." he snarled, refusing to meet her eyes. Snorting a breath out his nose he turned to swiftly walk away.  
"Raph! Raph wait!" Tau jogged after him. "That's not it at all! If Iago or his crew go, they'll likely be arrested before they can even get to the Commissionaires' manor. At least I could…"  
"So _he_ says!" Raph turned on her, pointing an accusatory finger towards the Captains' cabin. "And if it _is_ that friggin' dangerous, _you_ aint goin'!"

Tau worked her jaw in stunned silence then narrowed her own eyes.  
"Who the hell do you think you are; to be telling me what I can and can't do, huh?" she demanded. "This whole trip I've felt like some kinda superfluous fifth wheel. Maybe this is my chance to actually _do_ something useful while I'm here."  
"So lookin' after Mike 'cos he's sick isn't useful?" Raph accused. "Joining in the fight yesterday wasn't useful?!"

Tau gave a light scoff.  
"I'm sure Mike woulda survived just fine without me here. And yesterday? Yeah, _that_ was a great success!" her retort laced with sarcasm. "If we don't 'poof' outta here before hand, I'm gonna do this thing Raph. And don't you dare try to stop me." she declared, putting her foot down.

Mike edged over, wondering how Tau could stand defiant in the face of the apoplectic glare Raph was treating her to. The hot-head seemed incapable of speech, his fists clenching as the veins on his neck popped. Ever so cautiously Mike slipped his hand around his brothers' bicep, partly to restrain him, partly to urge him to back down and step away. It was a long, drawn out moment before Raph finally complied and took a half-step back.

"Ok you guys." Mike mediated. "Let's just all calm down and sleep on this, huh? It's late, and we're all a bit tired and fed-up. How about we call a truce for now and talk this over in the morning. 'k?"  
"Fine by me." stated Tau, quirking an eyebrow at Raph in challenge. Raphs' lip curled, but he wasn't about to let her gain the upper hand that easy.  
"Me too." he growled.


	13. Chapter 13

A/N: In The Clouds – Thank you very much for your review! I'm glad to be updating this one again myself.

artykidd – Sending a massive hug your way, you know why. Thank you chica!!

DISCLAIMER: I don't own the TMNT, or any related characters (much to their relief, I'm sure!) If there is anything else in this story you recognise from somewhere else, then I don't own that either.

-- --

Leo heaved a silent sigh as he watched over his brothers' and Tau eating their lunch of thin fish stew within their cabin. Don was confined to his hammock; there was no-way Leo was going to risk his brother gaining any more bruises care of the pitch and roll of the ship over the waves. The rest of the group were sat on the floor boards.

Mike was looking at his bowl as if it were evil incarnate, dejectedly swishing his spoon back and forth through the oily liquid. Raph and Tau were sat either side of Mike, each pointedly ignoring the other. With a shake of his head Leo came to the conclusion that, no matter what the status of their relationship, it was much easier on _everyone_ when those two were on amenable terms.

The whole group had arrived to a hero's welcome from Kaelani and her tribe the previous afternoon. The villagers' ship had beaten them there by a few hours, and a large-scale feast had already been underway, the turtles quickly drawn into the celebrations by the old wise-woman.

Despite Leos' relief that their mission was complete, as he saw it, and the many gifts and hugs from grateful islanders he'd received, he couldn't help feeling a small kernel of fear that they may in-fact be stuck in this time-period for good. And he was sure all of his brothers and Tau felt it too. Not that he'd gotten to see the girl much during the celebrations. Tau had again been forced to stay at the far end of the festivities with the crew of the Halcon del Mar. Even though she had readily agreed to wear the strand of pearls once more, in the hope it would trigger their return to the Lair.

After a few hours of merriment Leo had noticed Iago on the side-lines, talking with Kaelani. Leo didn't know what the conversation was about, but it obviously stirred something for the Spaniard. Within the hour the crew of the Halcon del Mar were re-boarding their ship to leave. Leo would have been quite happy to let them go. However, Tau had insisted on leaving with them. And Mike and Don had insisted on going with the girl, even as Raph and Tau had been heatedly quarrelling over the issue.

Regardless of Raphs' final outburst of "Just leave with that friggin' bastard then! Damned if I'm getting back on that fucking boat!" the hot-head had eventually, and very grudgingly, followed his kin back onto the ship. Not surprisingly, Raphs' temper had barely improved since then.

A light knock on the door broke the tense silence within the cabin. Leo answered it to find Amadika stood outside.  
"I need Tausha to come with me." started the old woman, "It is time for her to be getting ready."  
"So early?" questioned Leo. "Surely the ball doesn't start for a few hours. And we're not even close to land yet."  
"It takes time to make a woman look like a Lady. Especially when she is… 'inexperienced'." explained Amadika.

Leo quirked an eye-ridge, wondering if the old woman was insulting Tau in some way, when the girl came up beside him, placing a hand on his arm to get him to shift out of her path.  
"It's okay Leo. These things do take time." Tau assured, a little uncertainly.  
"Are you sure you want to do this Tau?" asked Leo.  
"Yeah." she nodded. "Besides, I gave my word I would. And I want to prove to… myself that I can." They both ignored the rude scoff from behind them. Offering her friends a brave smile in farewell, Tau followed Amadika out of the door, closing it again behind herself.

-- --

It had been almost an hour since the Halcon del Mar had docked at the port of a large township, and Tau still hadn't emerged from the Captains' Cabin where Amadika had led her. Three of the turtles were waiting in the shadows near the bow as Iago and Nataniel stood further down the main deck, putting the finishing touches to the finery they were wearing.

The harbour was partially enclosed by a high headland on either side, the bulk of the town nestled on the slopes above the bay leading up to fortifications atop the cliffs on each side. Even in the dark that had fallen prior to the ship slipping into the docks, it was clear to see that the fort on one side was very utilitarian. A few corpses were hung on the outer walls above the crashing waves. The cadavers cast dim, dancing shadows in the wavering light from sparse torches set atop the weather-worn barricade.

The battlements on the other side, however, were well lit and maintained. The stout, clean walls became interspersed with windows and balconies as they marched away from the open ocean, the roof of a great house rising above the well-manned fortifications. A winding path of torches lined the road up to the impressive-looking main gate to the structure, carried by the other guests attending the evenings' revelry being held at the Commissionaires' Manor.

The clatter of horses' hoofs on the stone dock at the front of the ship caught the attention of everyone on the main deck.  
"Oh, well done Alik!" enthused Iago, leaning over the railing as his deck-hand brought a sturdy looking carriage to a halt close by. "Who was kind enough to 'donate' that for us?" he asked with a chuckle.  
"You're old 'friend', the publican at the Fish-Head Inn!" replied Alejandro with a huge grin.  
"Fine work, my good lad! He certainly does owe me for that last spot of trouble he caused us!" Iago laughed.

The smile ran away from the Spaniards' face as he caught sight of the unimpressed glares the turtles were treating him to. Making a show of straightening his dark blue jacket, needlessly brushing off the silver trim that lined it, Iago stepped over to rap lightly on his cabin door. Nothing happened for a stretch, until Amadika opened the door to treat her Captain to a slight scowl in rebuke. Then a vision stepped out of the cabin.

Raph was sure he was seeing things. Tau just looked _so_… different. If it hadn't been for the serpent on her shoulder giving him its' usual deriding glare, Raph was sure he would've had to look twice to recognise her. Taus' hair was bundled atop her head in an intricate mass of curls and pins, leaving her neck bare but for a few loose strands that accentuated the curve of her throat. Her face and shoulders were powdered almost as white as the teardrop pearl on her necklace; enhancing the red of her lips, the thin lines of kohl about her eyes.

And then there was her dress. Raph knew Tau hated pink with a passion, yet the rose-coloured fabric did suit her well. He couldn't tear his eyes away from it, at least. Or perhaps that had more to do with the way it moulded to her figure, the top curves of her breasts seemingly offered up by the taught fabric binding them, no straps to interrupt the view. The stiff corset made her waist appear tiny, before the gown billowed out in a plethora of embroidered skirts that practically touched the ground. Only just visible were the matching shoes Tau was wearing, looking like delicate dolls' feet beneath the mass of material.

Tau stopped in front of Iago with an uncertain smile, surreptitiously trying to smooth the fabric of her skirts where they had brushed either side of the doorway as she'd stepped outside.  
"Does this look alright?" asked Tau uncertainly.  
"My dear," Iago purred, "You are stunning. I am so thankful for Amadikas' wisdom in keeping this dress stowed somewhere safe." The old woman gave a self-satisfied nod and smirk at that. "However, you must be cautious of the other ladies attending tonight. Do not think that, because they are civilised, they will be kind to one they have every right to be envious of."

Tau dipped her head, giving it a little shake despite the shy smile on her lips, her blush so deep her makeup couldn't hide it. Raph decided then and there that Iago was a dead man. Just as soon as he could get his hands on the bastard somewhere he could commit bloody murder without Tau as a witness…  
"There's only one thing you need to look absolutely perfect." Iago continued with a shrewd grin, walking around Tau as he fished something out of his pocket. "Pearls are not the current fashion in the Kings' court." he explained, deftly slipping the catch on the necklace Tau wore. "And since you will be in the presence of the Kings' representative, I think something a little more… appropriate is in order."

He held up a half-inch wide, black velvet band where Tau could easily see it, the gasp from the girl clearly audible as she spotted the diamond set in the centre of the choker. The gem so large, it was almost as wide as the band itself. Tau was at a loss for words as Iago settled the ribbon snug against her throat, managing a whispered "Thank you." as he stepped back to peruse his handiwork and give a satisfied nod.

"My Lady?" invited Iago, along with his arm.  
"Um, can I have… just a minute please?" Tau asked timidly. "And, uh, my necklace back?"  
"But of course, a gentleman will always wait on his Lady's pleasure." Iago bowed gallantly, handing over the pearls.

Cautiously Tau made her way over to stand in front of Raph, the hot-head belligerent in turning his head away from her. Leo was treating her to an impassive gaze over his loosely folded arms. Mike was inspecting the deck beneath his feet, giving a small pout as he slouched against the fore-mast.  
"Please don't be angry with me for doing this." Tau softly petitioned Raph. "Apparently this party is to send off this 'King's Man'; Rivera. He's leaving tomorrow. And with him any chance of Iago bringing Gutierrez to justice before another emissary from Spain heads out this way at some point. What if, in that time, Gutierrez manages to get his mine going again, huh? Then everything we've done here will be for naught." she gave a sigh as it became clear Raph was determined to continue ignoring her.

"All I want is to go home. For _all_ of us to go home and for things to go back the way they were." Tau fingered the band about her neck. "If I didn't think this might be what it takes for that to happen, then I wouldn't be doing this." she tried to shift to catch Raphs' eye. "There is no other reason why I'm doing this." she emphasised. With another despondent sigh she held out the pearls and her shell-cell. "Can you look after these, please Raph?" she tugged gently on her full skirts, "I don't exactly have any pockets in this thing." she explained sheepishly.

Her hopeful smile faded as Raph refused to as much as glance her way. Other than his eyes flicking briefly toward the hot-head, there was no change in Leos' neutral stance. Only his expression softened slightly in compassion as he looked back to Tau. Mike stood straighter, actually looking to his obstinate brother, searching what he could see of Raphs' face for a moment. But then Mike also followed Raphs' lead in not responding to Tau. At least, not with anything more than a small, sad shrug.  
"I just wish I could make you see how much I…" Tau caught herself, as her voice started to waiver. She glanced at Leo; his straight poker-face was back. However, Tau felt the sudden need to choose her words _very_ carefully. "How much I… don't want to hurt you." she finished softly.

Despairing that nothing she could say or do right now would elicit any real response from Raph, or his brothers stood in solidarity with him, Tau turned away. Mike stopped her short with a gentle hand on her arm. Offering her a strained smile, he collected the items she had offered.  
"Just don't let any of these pretty boys sweep you off your feet too much, 'k?" he murmured earnestly.  
"Mike." Tau chastised lightly with a sad smile. "You guys should know by now that I don't get swept off my feet that easy. And that it takes much more than a mere 'pretty boy' to do it." Mike replied with a little uncertain chuckle, letting go her arm.

Feeling a small sliver of hope start to crack his resolve at Taus' words, Raph risked a glance her way as she walked back over to the Captain to accept his arm. Catching sight of her fingering the jewel at her throat once more, his heart felt quashed. Raph wondered why he had dared to hope at all, it was obvious to him that Tau had found a pretty boy who _could_ offer her so much more…

-- --

Tau sat in the back of the carriage, trying to keep her mind and fingers off of the choker she felt was growing tighter by the minute as the carriage rattled over the rough, cobblestone streets. Opposite her Nataniel was stoically looking out of the window, the Log Book secure on his lap. Beside Nataniel, Iago insisted on smiling warmly at her whenever Tau raised her head. So she was keeping her eyes on the wooden floor as much as she could.

Alejandro brought the carriage to a halt part-way up a steep slope, at a point where he could pull off the incline and into a small, shadowy square surrounded by tall houses. Quickly jumping down from the front, the young Spaniard opened the carriage door. Nataniel left the Log Book on his seat as he stepped out. Iago lingered a moment, slipping an envelope out of the pocket inside his jacket.  
"Here, my Lady" he offered Tau the missive. "All you need do is present this letter and the Log Book to Duke Rivera. Are you still happy to do this?"

Tau nodded, the movement more sure than she felt, and took the envelope. She didn't expect Iago to crook his finger under her chin to lift it, leaning in close to her face. Swallowing thickly Tau wondered what he thought he was doing; surely she had made it clear to Iago that she didn't want his attentions?  
"I _do_ appreciate you doing this." he murmured in a low, sincere voice. A flash of another warm smile and he was gone. The carriage door closed behind him and the coach quickly moved off to continue up the steep road to the manor.

Fidgeting in her nerves, Tau took the opportunity of some privacy to be most unladylike. She tugged on the corset of her dress in a vain attempt to settle it in such a way that would let her draw a decent breath and hide the top curve of her breasts a little more, ran her finger under the ribbon tight about her throat to reassure herself that wasn't about to limit her ability to breathe any further either. She fussed tentatively with her hair. And then, noticing her coach was passing between two lines of uniformed soldiers standing smartly with their rifles at ease on their shoulders, she gathered up the Log Book and took as deep a breath as she could to calm herself and set her shoulders straight before the coach door opened for her.

Cautiously Tau stepped down, trying not to catch her skirts and fall flat on her face in the dirt, grateful for the helping hand Alejandro offered her despite his wide-brimmed hat being pulled down to help disguise his face. And for the way he pointed out where she should go before he swung himself back up onto the coach and pulled away.

Tau offered a timid smile to the second lot of guards lining the manor entrance, only one young soldier returning the gesture. A tall, thin man-servant greeted her disdainfully at the door. Quickly leading Tau through the large entrance hall and up a wide staircase the servant halted at an ornate set of doors, only pausing to briskly ask her name before throwing open the doors to a huge ball-room swarming with dignitaries and ladies.

"Presenting; the Lady Tausha Nance." announced the servant loudly, giving Tau a small nudge in the small of her back when she didn't step forward under the haughty cursory glances she earned from the assembly. She jumped as the doors swiftly clicked shut again behind her.

Her mouth too dry to swallow her nerves, Tau slowly started to mingle with the throng stood around the edges of the huge room, avoiding the crowded dance-floor in the centre. She was starting to wonder just how she would be able to distinguish Duke Rivera from all the other formally clad and imposing gentlemen in the room, when she spotted a small raised dais to one side of the buffet.

Sat in an opulent chair upon the low platform was a man wearing a suit much like the one Iago was wearing; deep blue with a fine, silver trim. He seemed to be a similar age and build to Iago as well, although his wider waistline betrayed the fact he lived a much more luxurious life than the Privateer. And Tau was sure Iago would have loved to be in this fellows' place right now, with the number of women that were fawning and giggling over him, offering him bites of food and wine.

Ignoring the dark looks from the group of women as she approached, Tau curtseyed before the man who sat up straighter with a look of curiosity upon his face.  
"What is this then?" he grinned. "Another gift for me? You are too kind, my dear. Too kind!"

Tau tried to keep her smile a polite one as he made no effort to hide the fact he as ogling her.  
"I have been asked to deliver this to Duke Rivera?" she offered, along with Iagos' envelope. The man suddenly became serious, waving his entourage back a little to give him room as he took the letter. Reading it through, he looked back up at Tau.  
"And is that…?" he pointed to the Log Book, "May I have it please?"

Tau hesitated, still unsure if this was the right guy to give the book to, when two guards suddenly materialized either side of her, gripping her arms tight.  
"Take this traitor to the cells!" screeched a short, portly, red-faced man who raced over. The guards acted immediately, lifting Tau off her feet despite her protests. "My Lord Rivera," pled the little man, "Please excuse this travesty…"

The Duke ignored him to stand, sternly ordering "Halt!" To Taus' great relief the guards listened, and obeyed as they were commanded to take her back to the dais. Regardless of the music continuing, much of the throng in the room crowded about as the Duke took his time to thumb through the Log Book, totally disregarding the panicked grovelling of the portly man beside him.

The little man cowered as a dour looking woman marched up to demand what was happening. Again the Duke ignored the distraction. And the screams of outrage from the woman as the Duke ordered the guards to escort her and her obsequious husband to the cells. A loud murmur ran through the surrounding crowd, Tau feeling very self-conscious under the stares many were treating her to.

The Duke spent a few more moments talking quietly with a man-servant, handing over the Log Book before the servant hurried out of the room.  
"Well!" exclaimed Duke Rivera, turning back to Tau with a wide smile. "My dear Lady. It seems I, and my King, are in your debt for your role in exposing a thieving traitor. And I insist you allow me to begin to show our appreciation with a turn on the dance-floor!" He didn't give Tau much choice, scooping up her arm as he brushed past to lead her out onto the now deserted floor.

"I… Thank you! But I'm not very good at this!" blushed Tau as the musicians started a new tune.  
"Nonsense." smiled Rivera. "Just relax and you will be fine. I know my cousin always has a good eye for beautiful and graceful women. And I fully intend to enjoy your company before he arrives to steal you away from me." he winked roguishly. It was all Tau could do to not roll her eyes. Then a thought occurred.  
"Cousin?" she asked, a little distracted as she tried to remember the steps to the dance.  
"Of course!" the Duke chuckled. "You did not know Iago was born a gentleman? From the wrong side of the bed-sheets to be a true nobleman, but blood is blood."

Tau was too preoccupied to say much else. She had to concentrate on keeping her feet with the way the Duke was waltzing her about, resisting the way he kept pulling her into a closer hold, and trying not to knock into the other couples that had quickly followed them to crowd the dance floor once more. It wasn't easy, since many of the other people tried to dance close by to ask Rivera what had happened and who was going to replace the Commissionaire. However, the Duke simply assured each one that their questions would be answered shortly then whisked Tau off in another direction.

By the time Rivera finally led her off the dance floor Tau was thirsty as heck, especially given the how dry her throat had been thanks to her nerves to start off with. Still she tried to decline the glass of wine the Duke offered her at first, until he pointed out there was nothing else available to drink but brandy or absinthe.

The ball room doors were flung open again a few minutes later. Tau, already feeling light headed from the alcohol having emptied her second glassful, had to stifle a giggle at the smug way Iago sauntered into the room. Nataniel was his usual stoic self as he followed his Captain, Alejandro all eyes for the opulent surroundings as he entered last.

Tau let Rivera lead her over to meet the trio, Alejandro distracting her from listening in on the muted conversation between Iago and the Duke as the teen grabbed her arm in his excitement.  
"Is that…? Oh my Lord, apples! Fresh ones!" his face lit up. "Look at all that food, just sitting there! What are those?" he asked Tau, pointing to an ornate bowl piled with small red fruit. Tau quirked a dubious eyebrow at him,  
"Strawberries." she answered, surprised that his face grew even more animated.

Iago intervened at that point, Alejandro quick to step away from Tau as his Captain offered her his arm.  
"My Dear?" invited Iago. "Would you do me the honour of accompanying me as we complete our task for tonight?"  
"Complete?" Tau queried, accepting his offer and wrapping her hand lightly about his fore-arm. "I didn't think there was anything left to do?" Iago gave a small chuckle as he and his crew followed Rivera through the crowd on the dance-floor to the stage holding the orchestra.  
"There is at least one more small matter that needs attending to, before this adventure is done." he explained, a gleam in his eye.

Tau felt very self-conscious as the Duke put a halt to the music and every eye in the place turned to look at the little group stood upon the edge of the stage.  
"My dear Ladies and Gentlemen," Rivera began his speech. "Tonight has been quite the tumultuous affair! Commissionaire Gutierrez and his wife have been exposed as traitors to our King, and have been duly stripped of their titles and placed under arrest. They will be returned to Spain, to face justice. It now falls to me, on behalf of our King, to appoint a new Governor to this holding. And thus, I present to you, Commissionaire Reyes!" A smattering of applause greeted the announcement, some avid, most merely polite as Iago bowed deeply to his new denizens.

With a loud clap, Rivera encouraged the orchestra to start up again. Tau feeling a little overwhelmed as Iago led her down the step onto the dance-floor. Within moments Iago and Rivera were swamped by well-wishers and people asking questions of their new leader. To Taus' great relief Nataniel waded through the mass to escort her away, joining Alejandro by the buffet as the teenager stuffed his mouth with handfuls of food. Nataniel simply stood, watching the proceedings with a straight face. He only briefly turned away to fill a glass of wine for himself and Tau.

A little hesitant about disturbing the big man, Tau found the courage to ask Nataniel,  
"He planned this all along, didn't he?"  
"Nope." said Nataniel flatly. "This started with Kaelani asking us to investigate where her missing people were going. Iago saw a few good separate opportunities, strung them together and pushed them to work. That's what makes him a damn fine Privateer."  
"Oh. So are you happy he's become a Commissionaire then? I guess Iago won't be your Captain anymore, huh?"  
"As far as I'm concerned, he'll always be my Captain." Nataniel flashed a brief, rare smile. "And yes, I'm happy to leave the sea behind for this." he gave a small satisfied nod, reaching behind himself to snag an apple off the table.

Alejandro had made his way to the far end of the buffet and back, sampling everything there was on offer. He gave Tau a sheepish look as he walked into her skirts, too absorbed with his meal to look where he was going. Stepping back, he finally seemed to notice the rest of the room was crowded with people. The teen swallowed his last mouthful awkwardly as he noticed a young woman nearby playfully batting her fan at him.

The boy looked up at Nataniel, eyes wide in wonder and pleading. At a short nod from the First Mate, Alejandro gave a massive grin. He rubbed his hands clean on the back of his breeches then very nervously sidled over to talk to the girl who had caught his attention.  
"I don't think Alik has any qualms about leaving life on the sea either." observed Nataniel wryly.

Eventually Iago managed to extradite himself from the throng of people to make his way over to join Nataniel and Tau, gratefully accepting the glass of wine his First Mate offered him. He emptied the glass in one gulp, and then held out his hand to Tau.  
"My Lady, would you be so kind as to grant me this dance?" he bowed politely.  
"I suppose one couldn't hurt." Tau conceded with a smile, taking his hand to be led out onto the dance-floor.

Iago waited until they started to waltz to object.  
"Only one?" he taunted in a playful tone. "Surely a celebration such as this deserves more than that! I am now one of the most powerful men in the Caribbean, you do realise?" he winked. Tau tossed her head back in a chuckle, the alcohol in her veins giving her the confidence to dance without caring where she put her feet.  
"Yes, I do realise that." she admitted. "But I should also be getting back to my friends; I don't want them to worry…"

"I'm sure they are fine." insisted Iago. "Why not take this chance to enjoy yourself a little?"  
"Shouldn't the rest of your crew be able to do that, over me? I can tell Amadika and the rest to come join you, when I go back." Iago shot her a dubious look.  
"I can't allow Amadika to attend tonight. Allowing an African into an occasion such as this just is not done. Such a thing could well unravel everything we've achieved here tonight for ourselves! Rest assured that she and Kirabo, all of my crew, will have as easy a life as I can give them here. But there's no point in my risking what we have gained by reaching for something we can't have." he lectured, his voice carrying an unusually serious note.  
"Oh." replied Tau, realisation sinking in that this society was still very unequal compared to what she was used to in her own time.

"After all you've endured to get here, please say you'll stay. Just a little longer." crooned Iago, all smiles again as he shifted her into a closer hold. "It's not much of a celebration, without a beautiful lady to dance with."  
"Alright." blushed Tau, "Just a little longer."  
"Thank you." Iago murmured by her ear. "Would you like a little more wine…?"

-- --

Mike and Raph stood lounging against the main mast of the Halcon del Mar. Raph with his arms crossed, eyes locked on the manor atop the cliff as if he could will himself to see through the stout walls. Mike with his back to the manor gazing at the myriad stars above past the ropes of the ships' rigging.

Raph shifted, unable to find a comfortable way to stand. He couldn't get the image of Tau in that dress, the jewel glinting on her neck, out of his head. To his minds' eye the black band appeared like a bruise upon her throat, the mark of another. And then she had walked away from him, on the arm of that Spaniard. It left him feeling betrayed, angry and… He _hated_ feeling like this! It shouldn't be possible, not now after being livid with the girl for most of the past two days. Raph shuffled about again, finding no relief for the pressure under the lower scutes of his plastron.

Mike heaved a sigh, rolling his head back to look at Raph past the wooden mast between them.  
"Why don't you just tell her how you feel? It's only three little words Raph. How hard can that be?" Raph gave a disparaging grunt, taking a long moment to answer.  
"'I wanna toss ya down and screw your friggin' brains out' is more than three words Mikey." he grumbled.

Mike rolled his eyes back to the heavens, giving a disgusted "Tch!" He paused a minute, giving his brother a chance to redeem himself he knew Raph wouldn't take.  
"If all you feel for her is lust, she's right to go lookin' elsewhere." Mike pointed out bluntly. Raph grimaced, finally tearing his eyes away from the manor to glare at the deck beneath his feet.  
"Thanks Mike." he uttered in heavy sarcasm.  
"Anytime bro." Mike matched his tone, giving Raph a hard yet friendly nudge against his shell with his elbow before he walked away to the hatch, leaving his brother alone with his thoughts.

-- --

**More Authors' Notes**

A few definitions for old-world stuff I've had queries about;

**Kohl**: Kohl is a mixture of soot and other ingredients used predominantly by Middle Eastern, North African, Sub-Saharan African, and South Asian women, and to a lesser extent men, to darken the eyelids and as mascara for the eyelashes.

**Dais**: A dais is any raised platform located either within or without a room or enclosure, often for dignified occupancy, as at the front of a lecture hall or sanctuary.

**Absinthe**: Absinthe is a distilled, highly alcoholic (45-90 ABV), anise-flavoured spirit derived from herbs, including the flowers and leaves of the herb _Artemisia absinthium_, also called "wormwood". Absinthe is typically of a natural green colour but is also produced in both clear and artificially coloured styles. It is often called "the Green Fairy". Absinthe features in the 2001 movie 'Moulin Rouge', in which Kylie Minogue plays the role of the 'Green Fairy', or the hallucinations historically incorrectly attributed to the drinking of Absinthe.

And, on the way of life at sea for the crew of the Halcon del Mar, for your consideration;

The life of a privateer would not have been an easy one. Months on end spent at sea with little to no sociable human contact, other than with fellow crew-mates. Subsisting on rainwater mixed with rum to keep it sanitary, and rations of rum. The only fresh food being fish caught from the sea; otherwise all meat would be dried and salted so it could be stored in barrels for months.

There would be a small store of vegetables available at times; root vegetables mainly, such as potatoes and carrots. However, most plant matter would also need to be preserved, by the processes of being either dried or pickled. Fruit would be an incredibly rare luxury. The vermin aboard the ship would also feed upon the food stores, contaminating them with faecal matter and other leavings. Refrigerators did not exist. Neither did the TV, PC, or private bathroom. A board set on the railing at the rear of the ship with a hole cut into it was what passed for a toilet. And as much as I was tempted to, I decided not to include that particular detail in this tale since Tau threatened to kill me horribly if I did.

Time at sea _not_ spent harrying ships flying the flags of opposing nations (ie 95 percent of the time) would have been spent maintaining the ship (swabbing the decks and manning the bilge pump were both only a part of the necessary daily tasks), singing songs, repairing the ship, telling stories, whittling stuff and occasionally sleeping. The crew of the Halcon del Mar are very fortunate to have hammocks; this was rarely the case in reality.

The advantages of being a Privateer as opposed to a Pirate however, were being able to keep most of the booty acquired (under the contract with their King, a proportion was always sent to their sovereign) without having to fear the noose, from their own nations' forces anyway. And the social standing a Privateer could maintain within civilised society. Not that they would have had many chances to mix with civilised society, or uncivilised for that matter. Establishing and maintaining any sort of meaningful relationship would have been difficult. The often sporadic and limited time on land would bring opportunities to see old friends and perhaps buy some time with a companion or two, but little chance for a new friendship to solidify or romance to blossom.

I have deliberately set this story in the very early days of Spanish influence over the Caribbean. It was a time when persecution based on race, religion, sex and social standing was rampant. Slavery was common-place. In fact, the majority of Caribbean natives were pressed into slave labour producing sugar and cocoa for the growing confectionary market in Europe in the years subsequent to the setting for this tale. And to most 'civilized' society any person with dark-coloured skin was considered little more than a beast of burden. Amadika and her son are very rare exceptions to have the standing they do within the crew of the Halcon del Mar.


	14. Chapter 14

A/N: I owe a huge debt of gratitude to artykidd for doing a wonderful job of beta-reading this tale for me. Thanks for all your help chica, and for pointing out that flub re: pressure points. Hopefully it reads a bit more realistically now. *hugs*

Also many _many_ thanks to wolverine24, GameGodess76, Deana and particularly Independent.C. for your wonderful reviews, support and for sticking with this series despite the way too long waits for updates, for which I cannot apologise enough! To answer a few queries;

The Tausha Tales are most definitely continuing. I'm in the midst of writing Chapter 17 of this story, and Chapters 15 and 16 are currently being edited and beta-read. So hopefully more updates won't be quite so few and far between after this. I'm pretty certain I'm darn close to the end of this fic writing-wise, so if 17 doesn't round it out, then I doubt very much it'll go beyond 18 chapters. Plus the Epilogue, of course. ^^

There are also more stories for the series that I have already written, or am part-way through writing, that occur after this tale. Although unfortunately many I can't post here on FFnet due the rating restrictions. That said however, I do try to make all of the stories that are integral to the overall plot eligible to be posted here, and many of the higher rated ones can be safely skipped over if explicit stories aren't your cup o' tea. Plus I also have at least two more multi-chapter sagas that definitely won't be rated more than 'M' waiting in the wings, all plotted out and just waiting for me to finish up writing this one, and the other few shorter stories that fit into the plot-line between this story and the next major adventure the Turtles and Tau find themselves caught up in.

If you would like to hunt down the higher rated works for the TT series, you can find most of them upon the Stealthy Stories (SS) Forum. However, my higher rated stories are restricted to the adults only section upon SS, called Naughty Fanatics Unite (NFU). You must apply to the SS moderators for membership to NFU, and fulfil a few other requirements such as a minimum post count upon the public forums on SS, before you can access this adults only section.

An easier place to access my adult works is a new TMNT fanfiction archive site called Pizzas and Scrolls. Here I am able to post all of my works, regardless of rating, in the one place and still have people given due warning that they are about to access an adult work. You do not need to be a member of Pizzas and Scrolls in order to access the stories of any rating posted there.

And while I'm busily pimping sites here's a few more you may find of interest; the AFFA Competition Website and the AFFA Forum. 'AFFA' is the annual Adult Fan Fiction Awards for the TMNT Fandom. I am one half of the team behind running the AFFA Competition each year, with engelina being the better half.

Unfortunately FFnet has a very nasty habit of eating web addresses, links, email addresses and such, so I cannot post any web address for these sites in these notes, or send them via the FFnet PM system. Believe me, I've torn out many a hair trying to do so in the past! The 'homepage' link on my FFnet Author Profile Page now directs to the index of my stories posted upon Pizzas and Scrolls. However, feel free to send me an email if you'd like the actual web address for any of these sites, or you can find me on Live Journal under the user name Reijiro75.

And last but not least; will Iago get his just desserts and will Raph and Tau finally (_finally!!!_ Damn, those two have been agonizing for me too! X3) hook-up? Sorry, you're gonna have to read on to find out! *ducks barrage of rotten fruit*

DISCLAIMER: I don't own the TMNT, or any related characters (much to their relief, I'm sure!) If there is anything else in this story you recognise from somewhere else, then I don't own that either.

------- -------

Tau pushed through the heavy curtains and stumbled out onto a dim balcony to try to grab a breath of fresh air. Almost despite herself, and the way her head was spinning, she had to admit to herself that she had enjoyed this evening in the end. She had no idea how long she had spent sweeping the dance-floor with Iago and his contemporaries. Many of the other men at the ball had also asked her for a dance, and a chance to quiz her regarding their new Commissionaire. Iago had encouraged her to accept the requests of the others, though he always insisted on taking the following waltz with her himself.

At the end of almost every dance however, her partner had politely fetched a fresh glass of wine for her. Tau had long since lost track of how much she had drunk, her exertions and the close air of the ballroom fuelling her thirst and sapping her will to refuse each offer.

Leaning on the stone balustrade Tau sucked in the cool night air, hoping it would help to clear her head. The corset tight against her ribs prevented her from taking too deep a breath. And she slid her finger under the ribbon at her throat again, sorely tempted to take it off. If it weren't for the fact every other woman in the ballroom also wore a choker, she would have. But she was convinced it was three sizes too small and was cutting off her air. Why else would she be feeling so lightheaded?

In an attempt to increase her lung capacity, Tau shifted to lean backwards over the balcony wall; closing her eyes, enjoying the light sea breeze on her face. Her eyes snapped open as the music abruptly grew louder, no longer muffled as the curtains were parted for a moment. However, she wasn't surprised to see it was Iago joining her outside, carrying a full glass of wine in each hand.

"No thank you." Tau declined his tacit offer with a smile. "I think I've had quite enough of that stuff for one night!"  
"As you will." Iago replied with nonchalance. He placed the glass he'd held out to her upon the balustrade close beside her, resting his hip against the stone alongside it. "Although I was hoping you would share a toast with me. It is quite a victory we have won tonight."  
"I suppose it is." agreed Tau. "It seems you have done a lot to secure a better future for your crew. And the local natives, I'd bet they'll be happier to have you in control around here."

Iago gave a low chuckle. "Yes, I'll dare say they will. If Kaelani hadn't warned me Rivera was leaving tonight we might have missed this chance altogether. There was no guarantee I could have made the same deal with the next Kings' Man to visit us here. As you said to your friends, if we couldn't have overthrown Gutierrez, freeing the natives from that mine could well have been a futile exercise. And where's the harm in using ones' connections to ones' own advantage, hmm?" he grinned close. Tau sniggered, giving a sly smile in agreement.

"I have found it's always best to pursue any given opportunity." he continued, low by her ear. "If only because it's often a rare chance you'll be offered it again." Tau chewed her lip in contemplation of his words, broken from her distraction by the realisation Iago had shifted in front of her, placing a hand each side of her on the stone wall at her back. She opened her mouth to protest, only to be silenced by his lips on hers.

Stunned and unable to think, Taus' body reacted, returning Iagos' kiss as she felt her restraint crack. She had denied herself this kind of attention for so long… it wasn't enough. Without thinking she cupped the back of his neck to deepen the kiss, Iago pressing harder against her. Through the fog of alcohol in her brain, Tau registered that something wasn't right. The kiss wasn't hard enough. No matter how she pressed against him, Iagos' lips had no resistance to them; they were so soft and… squidgy. Even the flick of his tongue didn't seem to fill her mouth enough to satisfy.

The sudden realisation why hit her like a douse of cold water. Turtles don't have lips. And whilst the mutant variety do, they are thin, backed by a hard ridge of beak. Abruptly Tau broke the kiss, turning her head to the side and pushing her hands against Iagos' shoulders in an effort to fend him off. Her cheeks blazed as she caught sight of the harbour below out of the corner of her eye, reminded of who was waiting on a boat moored at the far end of the port.

"My Lady?" Iago murmured, concerned in her ear. He didn't budge at all. "I merely wish to show you my appreciation."  
"No." gasped Tau. "I… can't. I think you're right, about taking a chance when you can."  
"Yes, I am right. This is a great opportunity for us both. Stay. Let me give you a good life here." he nuzzled against her neck. "Let me… love you."

Taus' heart skipped a beat, her hands hesitantly yielding their resistance against him as her brain fumbled for a coherent thought.  
"Wh… what do you mean by that?" she managed to ask, keeping her head turned away as Iago kissed his way quickly along her jaw. Cupping her cheek he made Tau face him then ran his fingers down to the jewel at her throat.  
"Stay tonight; and this will be yours." his smile as warm as his voice. "Stay tomorrow; and I'll see to it that you are the envy of every mistress under the dominion of Spain and her King."

-------- --------

Raph leaned on the railing near the front of the ship, watching the water below lap against the hull of the Halcon del Mar. The reflections from the brightly lit manor danced and shimmied upon the ripples. He had long since given up on staring at the lights' source; it wasn't like he could make out any details of the celebration at this distance. And he wasn't sure he wanted to. Tau and Iago had been gone for hours. They were obviously in no hurry to return, caught up enjoying their evening; together.

For once Raphs' temper had deserted him. He really wished it hadn't since, despite his best efforts to maintain it, his anger and frustration had succumbed to a horrid creeping numbness. He was desperate to feel something, anything else.

He had been tempted to infiltrate the manor to find out what was happening between the pair. Raph knew his brothers' would join him in that task in a heart-beat; he wouldn't even have to ask. The only thing that had stopped him was the dread of causing Taus' face to contort with fear.

Raph had seen glimpses of that before, such as when Casey had first raised his hand to her. The thought of being responsible for such a look made Raph sick to his stomach. And if he did catch Iago doing anything to Tau, Raph doubted he'd have the self-control to not kill the man then and there. He knew it wouldn't be a job he would use his sai for, he'd rather use his hands; bare hands. Raphs' fingers gave an involuntary twitch in anticipation. He was also sure that such an act wouldn't earn him any Brownie points from Tau.

Sensing his brother approach to stand behind him, Raph bit back on a groan, not bothering to turn his head.  
"How're Donnie an' Mike holdin' up?" he asked, to break the quiet and steer the conversation away from what his brother was undoubtedly going to say.  
"Fine. They are both resting as comfortably as I can make them." Leo answered levelly. "Are you okay?"  
"Yeah." Raph gave a curt nod.

Leo moved to join Raph at the railing, gazing at the manor himself for a few minutes in silence.  
"If she decides she wants to be with him, and chooses to stay here, it may be for the best Raph." he stated simply. Raph gritted his teeth.  
"Yeah, right Leo." he retorted with heavy sarcasm. "Shove it, will ya? I don't wanna hear it."  
"Whether you want to accept the possibility of it or not doesn't change anything. He can give her a far better life than you could ever hope to; money, security, freedom, a nice place to live, perhaps... marriage. She's even safe from her Father here. It could be that is part of the key to sending us home; she needs to realise she is meant to be in a relationship with one of her own kind. There's a lesson there for us too; it just isn't meant to be for us."

Despite Raphs' staunch silence, Leo could see his brothers' knuckles turning white where he gripped the railing.  
"I am sorry you're hurting Raph." said Leo softly, placing a consoling hand on his brothers' shoulder. "But it is still better it ends now, this way. It would only hurt you more if it didn't and you..."  
"Leo!" growled Raph, his head snapping up to glare at his antagonist. Taking heed of the warning in Raphs' tone, the snarl on his lips, Leo merely nodded his understanding. He gave his brothers' shoulder a quick squeeze before following the tacit order he'd been given. Without another word he walked away.

-------- --------

Tau stared at Iago, blinking once. Iago took her silence as an invitation to take her lips again, stymied by the finger she held over her mouth. He gasped as Tau dug her fingers in hard upon the pressure point at the base of his neck, forcing him to take a step back.

"I am **not** for sale." she ground out, her mind suddenly crystal clear and sober. She glanced back over her shoulder at the harbour below. "I _wasn't_ thinking of taking a chance with you. Good bye Iago." Tau levelled at him then stepped away to swiftly push through the curtains.

Nursing the bruise darkening upon his throat Iago slouched against the parapet, scooping up Taus' neglected drink to down it in a gulp. He was staring out at the ocean when Nataniel joined him on the balcony, to stand and stoically share the view.  
"I do believe I've just been rejected in favour of a damn turtle!" Iago gave a humourless chuckle.  
"I did warn you she was one filly not worth your while chasing." Nataniel dead-panned. Iago gave a grunt and a crooked, melancholy grin in response.

Nataniel stood in silent solidarity with his Captain, both watching the dance of the moonlight on the water for a long while. The First Mate shifted to the far side of the balcony as a richly dressed young woman tentatively stepped through the curtains.  
"Commissionaire Reyes?" the lady asked, "I was wondering if you could spare me a little of your time? My Father runs the school in the township, and I have a few questions regarding some funding we had been negotiating with Commissionaire Gutierrez…"  
"My dear Lady." Iago smiled brightly, standing straight to invite her closer with a sweep of his hand. "Nothing would please me more than to spend some time with you. If I may be so bold, of all the women I have ever seen; your beauty is second only to that of Her Majesty the Queen of Spain."

As the girl blushed and flustered Nataniel rolled his eyes and left the balcony.

-------- --------

Thoroughly grateful for his solitude, Raph finally allowed his shoulders to slump in defeat; doing his best to ignore the occasional hot tear soaking into the edge of his bandana. He had no idea how long he had stood like that when the sharp rap of footfalls quickly approaching along the wharf and up the gang-plank made him start.

In no mood to be caught out in such a state by anyone, Raph hastily melded into the deeper shadow thrown by a mast. Whoever it was, they were moving so swiftly that, by the time he had roughly knuckled his eyes dry, he only caught a glimpse of pink material before the door to the Captains' cabin was forcibly slammed shut.

Raph suddenly felt as though his chest were in a vice; hardly daring to breathe as he wondered why a girl would be dashing into that room now. A girl wearing the exact same colour dress Tau had been; he was almost certain of it. And where was Iago? He surely wouldn't make her walk back on her own. Or was the Spaniard going to be following her shortly, maybe giving her some time to get ready... Raph shook his head violently; he didn't want to follow that train of thought any further.

His mind refused to let it rest, making him wonder why they would bother to come back to the ship at all, surely there were rooms they could use in the manor? Or was he mistaken, was it some other girl? Was Iago planning to two-time Tau? Fists clenched, since all of the scenarios he could think of only served to aggravate him further, Raph let his curiosity get the better of him. Silently he inched open the cabin door.

"Fuck it!" hissed Tau, her back to the door as she struggled to undo the catch on the choker she wore. Raph poked his head through the doorway to watch. He quirked an eye-ridge as she hitched up her skirts, pulling something out from under the lace that edged the top of her stocking, part-way up her thigh. As she flicked the object open, he recognised it as one of the punch daggers from his family's arsenal.

Using the sharp blade, Tau sliced through the band of velvet snug about her throat. Stabbing the dagger into the top of the dresser, she ripped off the necklace, turning to hurl it at the door as she snarled, "I'm not some damn _bitch_ he c'n own!"

Raph ducked the projectile, pulling the door part-way closed to act as a shield. The diamond set in the centre of the band bounced off the edge of the door just above his head, sending it flying back towards Tau who was stood with her hands to her mouth in shock. Side-stepping the airborne gem just in time to save herself, it hit the front of the dresser behind her, to skitter off under the bed. Tau paid it no mind as she looked back at Raph tentatively opening the door once more.

"Oh! I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to throw that at you!" she fretted.  
"Then who _was_ it meant for?" he snapped irately in reply.  
"For, uh, for... Oh, it doesn't matter. Are you ok?"  
"Yeah. What're you so pissed off about?" snarled Raph curtly, stepping into the room to close the door with a solid 'thunk'. Planting his feet square, he crossed his arms as he braced himself for her explanation.

A look of relief flickered over Taus' features before she grimaced again, leaning with one hand against the bedpost to tug off her shoes.  
"I hate wearing this kinda crud." she grunted with the effort of pulling off one small, ornate slipper. She briefly massaged her aching foot before balancing on it to remove her second shoe, both slippers getting tossed unceremoniously on the floor.  
"Uh-huh." dead-panned Raph. "That doesn't answer my question now, does it?" he tersely pointed out.

Tau eyed him for a moment, wondering how much she could tell him of the events of her evening before he would storm out looking to throttle Iago. Not much, she decided. She was tempted to tell Raph all about it anyway, but felt too drained to go racing after the hot-head in order to see Iago get his just desserts. Maybe she'd fill him in on the details in the morning... at least that way Raph wouldn't rush into facing off a couple of hundred guards and aristocrats to boot.  
"It's nothing I couldn't handle, really." she assured with a shake of her head. "I just need to be able to breathe!" she exclaimed, reaching to fiddle with the intricate knots nestled between her shoulder blades.

It was awkward for her to reach the ties, the stiff flap of material that concealed the bindings for her bodice hindering her efforts further. After a couple of minutes jiggling about unsuccessfully, she shot a glare at Raph; unimpressed by the small tic he was failing to still at the corner of his mouth as he attempted to maintain his fierce demeanour.  
"Little help?" she asked shortly, turning her back to him expectantly.

A little taken aback, it took Raph a moment to step up behind her. Tentatively he grasped the knot at the top of the bindings, taking care not to touch her bare skin above it anymore than he had to. Every time his fingertips brushed against her it made his innards flip-flop. She'd only asked a small favour of him, it was no reason to be feeling so nervous! Raph was certain she'd just order him out of the room as soon as he'd loosened the knot anyway. There was just one problem; the string was so fine, the knot drawn so taut, he was having real trouble getting it loose. His blunt, thick fingers were not helping matters.

"C'mon, _c'mon_!" she urged plaintively, bouncing impatiently on her toes.  
"Hold still will ya!" scowled Raph. "It's hard enough gettin' this undone without you jostlin' about."  
"Ugh, this damn bodice is so tight it's making my ribs ache!" whined Tau.  
"I'll get it." he snapped. "I just need to... damn it!" he cursed as the string slipped from between his fingers again. "I told you to hold still!" he berated as Tau leaned over to the dresser for a moment.  
"Here." she said, offering him the punch dagger over her shoulder.  
"What d'ya want me to do with this?" he asked, baffled as he took the weapon.  
"Guess." Tau retorted flatly.

Raph glanced between the knot and the knife in his hand for a moment, surely she couldn't mean...  
"Just cut it already, please?" she begged.  
"Won't that wreck the dress?" argued Raph. Tau gave a frustrated sigh.  
"You got a better idea? I'm sure they can replace the damn ties."

Raph conceded with a shrug since he had no clue how else to quickly free her. With utmost care, he sliced the string to one side of the knot.  
"Thank you!" smiled Tau. She quickly grew frustrated again, starting to whimper as the bodice still refused to co-operate with her and come loose. Raph spotted the problem; the ties were woven in an intricate criss-cross down her back, restricted from unravelling easily. Tau seemed almost on the verge of panic. Wanting to calm her, Raph gripped her shoulder firmly to halt her movement.  
"Hold still. I mean it this time." he instructed in a growl. As soon as she complied he ran the dagger carefully down the joining of the bodice, the stiff material holding its' shape and only parting slightly as the ties were cut.

To his surprise, the thin gap he'd made revealed a glimpse of a white corset beneath, secured in the same manner as the bodice of her dress. It was bound to Tau so tightly the skin of her back bulged slightly over the top of it, creating a line of faint purple that melded with the dragon tattooed on her back. It looked to him as if the serpent was desperately attempting to writhe free of the confines it was bound in.

"You want me to open this too?" he asked, swallowing thickly as he realised he'd just offered to cut her out of her underwear. He had to wonder if Tau understood the ramifications of what he'd asked, as she vigorously nodded her head. Taking even more care with the wicked blade, Raph slowly cut through the bindings on her corset, the parting of it opening a couple of inches as Tau took a deep breath as soon as he'd finished.

"Oh, thank God!" she exclaimed, slumping in relief, wrapping her arms around herself to nurse her aching ribs. "Thank you! I swear I thought I was about to pass out if I couldn't take a decent breath soon." she smiled crookedly as she turned to face him. The dragon on her shoulder seemed to give him a grudging smirk in gratitude as well.  
"Uh, no probs!" Raph smiled uncertainly; flicking closed the blade in his hand, taking a step back to give her some room.

Tau tipped her head back, closing her eyes to savour the sweet oxygen she could enjoy once more. Raph distracted himself from admiring the lines of her throat by tucking the punch dagger away in his belt.  
"I, uh, guess I better go, huh?" he reached for the door handle. "I s'pose you'll be expectin'..."  
"No, wait!" interrupted Tau, holding out a hand to stop him, the other clutching the top edge of her dress to keep the bodice in place. "I've been wanting a chance to, um, spend some time with you; set a few things straight."

Raph grimaced. Slowly he turned back to face her, refusing to meet her eyes.  
"I know." he muttered darkly. "If you... If you wanna stay here..."  
"What?!" exclaimed Tau. "Hell no! I'd much rather go home..., with you." she added softly. Raph perked his head in surprise.  
"'With'... me?" he asked uncertainly, sure he'd just misinterpreted her meaning. The way she nodded slightly, keeping her eyes downcast, did little to ease his bewilderment, or the butterflies suddenly careening around his gut. All his muscles froze as she stepped closer. Close enough to lightly press her cheek to his, then a brief, feather touch of her lips.

She paused there, waiting cheek-to-cheek for his reaction. Almost without thought, Raph found himself tentatively kissing her cheek in return. It was a simple touch, similar to what they had done quite a few times before. However, Raph sensed this was somehow something more. Perhaps it was the little sigh Tau gave as he kissed her face lightly again. The way she wasn't overly shy about trailing her own lips down his cheek in return. Or the fact she didn't turn away as she usually did as he reached the corner of her mouth.

He took a moment to pull back, swallowing thickly as he tried to read her face. Her eyes were hooded, giving nothing away as she waited unmoving. Raph gathered his courage and pressed a soft kiss full on her lips. A storm of emotions raged through him as she welcomed the touch, pressed back gently to make it linger.

Raph couldn't deny he was enjoying the sensation immensely. However, there was a question he needed the answer to. Somehow he found the will power to break the kiss; gripping her by the shoulders and taking a half-step back. Not expecting the break, Tau found herself leaning after him, a look of confusion and concern on her face, her mouth still pursed.  
"What about Iago?" he asked warily. Tau furrowed her brow, straightening to regain some semblance of dignity.  
"What about Iago?" she shrugged in reply, baffled.  
"Aren't you and he... ya know." grimaced Raph, looking to the floor.

Tau cupped his cheek with her free hand, making him meet her eyes again as she gave him a diffident smile.  
"You don't really think I have a thing for him, do you?" she asked softly.  
"I..., I dunno. It sure seemed like ya did at times." he muttered, his lip instinctively curling into a snarl.  
"Well, I don't. Believe me, he's _not_ my kind of guy. And I am… so sorry." stated Tau in earnest. "I did try to let you know you had nothing to worry about, but you can be a bit of a dope sometimes." she grinned crookedly.  
"Hey...!" Raph was cut off as she kissed him hard on the lips. After a couple of muffled sounds in protest, he decided he'd let the insult slide; just this once. It felt so damn good as the kiss deepened, running his hands down the back of her gown to pull her closer.

"Mmpf!" exclaimed Tau, muffled herself before she took a quick half-step back, leaving Raph confused as to why she was suddenly glaring at him. With a little, irate sigh she ran her hand down from his cheek to his belt, tugging one of the sai he had tucked there upright so the end of the handle couldn't get caught between them again. His protest at her attitude died on his lips as she met his gaze once more, this time looking very contrite.

"I'm..." she faltered, biting her lip briefly. "I..." The sorrow and longing he saw reflected in her eyes took his breath away, more than any words she could have found to say would have. Gingerly he brushed his thumb down her cheek, Tau softly pressing her face into his palm at the touch. Not wanting to see the tears she had threatening spill, but at a loss for words himself, he moved to kiss her gently. She met his lips with her own part-way, offering no resistance as he wrapped his other arm about her waist again, bringing her close.

Tau still clutched the top of her dress with her left hand, winding her right about his neck. The kiss they shared started off languid, more an expression of care than passion. As much as he wanted to lose himself in the feeling, Raph found more and more questions invading his mind. Why was she suddenly ok with this? Was it a permanent change in their relationship, or would she want to go back to being friends again tomorrow? If he pressed, would she be willing to do more? The way she moaned into their kiss, grasping the back of his head to grind her lips, her body up against his, had him thinking she would. If they did, tasting the wine on her breath, would she feel he'd taken advantage of her afterwards? A darker part of his psyche asked; would it matter? After a moments' consideration, he decided it would.

Finally, the realisation dawned that she was here, kissing _him_. Could she really choose him over a human? Needing some answers, Raph reluctantly broke their kiss; their breath still mingling as he only pulled back enough to focus on her face. Blinking open her eyes, Tau took a moment to study his expression before giving him a little half-smile. He could read her response clearly in her eyes.

_Yes._

Raph had no idea which of his questions it answered, if any. It was all he needed to know right now. He had waited so long to do this; kiss her deeply, freely, thrilled as she matched his fervour. Stymied from tangling his fingers in her hair, caught up as it was with numerous pins and combs, he shifted both hands to her back instead, pulling her hard up against his plastron.

The fabric of her dress captured between them, Tau let it go to wrap both her arms tight about him; her fingers tracing the corded muscles of his neck and shoulders. Raphs' gut tensed as he slipped his fingertips beneath the severed edge of her corset, expecting her to protest the feather touch. Instead, Tau gave a soft groan and shifted slightly to one side, making the material ride up over his hand. He took that as an invitation to caress the smooth curves of her back, one he readily accepted.

He succumbed to a moan himself, as she ran slender fingers under the rim of his carapace; exploring tender skin down the back of his shoulders that had rarely, if ever, been touched before. Raph made a foray over her teeth with the tip of his tongue; Tau quick to oppose his incursion, pushing him out of her mouth with her own tongue. He withdrew, thinking he might have crossed a line she wasn't prepared to yield as yet, though she didn't go so far as to break their kiss. Then he realised she was teasing him, her tongue making a sortie of its' own in return.

It wasn't long before they were both testing the tacit ground rules for this new style of skirmish. Utterly absorbed as they were, exploring with tongue and touch, if the rest of the world had dissolved away around them, they would never have noticed...


	15. Chapter 15

A/N: Can it be? _Can it BE?!!! _ ZOMG it IS!!! An update! GAH! Run! Quick! The end of the world must be coming! XD

I owe many thanks to artykidd for her wonderful work beta-reading this tale. Thank you too to Aussiegirl17 and KC_anathema for their help ironing out one bit that was driving me loopy.

Also many thanks to Jenni, wolverine24 and raphfreak for your support and reviews. I know I owe all of you a reply yet, and I'll get those to you soon. But I reckon I've made you all wait waaaay long enough for this chapter already.

DISCLAIMER: I don't own the TMNT, or any related characters (much to their relief, I'm sure!) If there is anything else in this story you recognise from somewhere else, then I don't own that either.

A quick explanation of a martial arts term used in this chapter. A 'break-fall' is the technique used to prevent or reduce injury during a landing after being thrown or otherwise falling. It can often incorporate rolls and/or slapping arms or legs hard against the floor in order to buffer the torso from the force of impact.

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Splinter twitched an ear, the unexpected hush in the Lair drawing his attention. He thought little of it at first. He had clearly heard both Leonardo and Raphael threaten Michelangelo a few moments ago; surely this lull was merely the quiet before the storm. The Master took a deep breath, savouring the fragrant scent of the tea leaves as they steeped, before he placed the lid on the tea-pot. Picking up the tray he had prepared, he readied himself for the inevitable racket. And the possible need to dodge various projectiles and family members that came with any dispute between his sons.

Stepping out of the kitchen, Splinter halted in surprise. The only living thing he could see was Klunk curled on the warm spot he had left behind on his armchair. The TV screens still danced with light and sound. But, to Splinter, the world suddenly seemed cloaked in silence as he strained his sensitive hearing, desperate to catch any hint of the whereabouts of his boys.

An odd glimmer in the dojo caught his eye. It looked almost like light reflecting off water. However, it was too far from the pool to have originated from there. The phenomenon grew in size as Splinter cautiously approached the top of the step that divided his home in two. As he drew level with the bridge that arched over the pool, the shimmer flared bright. It split into three parts, one shooting up to hover high above the mats. The other two separated by only a couple of feet, remaining close to the floor.

The strange lights condensed, each revealing the form of a turtle. Don was resting on his back upon the dojo mats. Mike was lying a couple of feet to one side of Don, propped up on one elbow, both draped with a blanket each. Appearing high above them Leo looked as if he'd been climbing up something. He scrabbled in mid-air for an instant, his handholds suddenly gone, before he plummeted. He managed a break-fall to save himself from landing face first upon the mats.

"Whoa! We're home?" asked Mike, sitting up to look about in wonder. Leo raised himself up onto his knees where he had come to a halt, glancing about the Lair himself.  
"Where's Raph?" he queried, brow furrowed in worry. Another glimmer started on the mid-point of the bridge over the pool, gaining the attention of all as the light quickly coalesced.

Splinter quirked an eyebrow in astonishment at what the light revealed. It took him a moment to realise just who was locked in the passionate embrace with his son. She was dressed in such an unexpected manner. Or partially dressed rather; much of the dragon depicted on her skin being exposed as the material covering her back was pushed aside by the eager roaming of green hands.

With their eyes closed in rapture as they continued to kiss deeply, the couple seemed oblivious to their sudden audience. No-one else moved, all staring in shock; except for Klunk. The cat lifted his head to peer at the distraction briefly, stretched out a paw then curled back into a ball to continue with his nap. It wasn't to last.

"WOOHOO!" yelled Mike, leaping into the air with a victory punch. His cry made Klunk, and everyone else, jump in surprise. "Ya see Donnie, _this_ is why we need cameras in our Shell-cells!" continued Mike in excitement, heedless of the dark looks most in the Lair were treating him to. Not least of all Raph.

Tau had leapt backwards at the yell, immediately tucking her hands behind her back as if to hide them, and thus her guilt, her cheeks colouring brilliantly. She cringed as the rest of Raphs' family quickly turned their attention back to the bridge, Leos' scowl only growing darker.

The bodice of Taus' dress slipped a little, starting to succumb to the weight of her skirts. It gave her just enough warning to grab the errant dress in time for her to save a shred of modesty. Mortified at being caught out so and then coming very close to inadvertently flashing her chest for everyone to see, her face went deathly pale. An instant later she ducked her head to dash towards the stairs, heading straight for her room.

"Tau...!" Raph called after her, only taking a couple of steps to follow before he realised it was a lost cause. He let his own head drop forward; eyes squeezed shut in a grimace, clenching his fists before him.  
"Don't go babe!" begged Mike, as she raced up the steps. Tau paid him no heed. "It's cool!" he raised his voice to assure, getting the slam of her door in reply.  
"Shut up Mike." snapped Leo, before his glare refocused on his brother still stood on the bridge. "What the hell was _that_? You can't tell me _that_ was just you two being '_friendly_'! How could you be so stupid?!" he accused, his voice rising in pitch. "Just when I thought you were beginning to see sense you go and f...!"

"Raphael!" Splinters' sharp rebuke cut through the air, earning him surprised looks from all of his sons. "Forgive me. I meant; Leonardo! That is no way to speak to your brothers."  
"I'm sorry Master, but I'm not gonna turn a blind eye while Raph makes the worst mistake of his life!" contended Leo.  
"Nuh-uh!" countered Mike, butting in. "How can it be a mistake? It's like, fate, dude. All the great love stories are like that..."  
"Oh, for fucks' sake!" exclaimed Raph, dragging a hand down his face in exasperation. "Neither of ya have a damn clue!" he snarled.

As the quarrel between his three sons continued to escalate, Splinter noticed his fourth had barely moved. Despite watching the proceedings with avid interest, Don was still lying back on the mats. Something in the way the turtle held himself alerted Splinter to the fact his son was hurt. From the numerous wounds all his brothers bore, it was clear to see they had been involved in some sort of skirmish.

"Enough!" ordered the Sensei brusquely, rapping his cane sharply against the floor. His sons immediately fell silent, though he was glad for the expanse of water separating Raphael and Leonardo. It was clear from their expressions that things undoubtedly would have intensified beyond mere words otherwise.

Hopping down to the level of the dojo, Splinter left his tray behind on the step. He swiftly made his way over to Donatello, lecturing as he did so;  
"I do not know how this situation has arisen, but it is clear that harsh words spoken in anger will do nothing to resolve it." Kneeling beside Don, Splinter was lost for words for a moment at the sight of the dark, ugly welt marring his sons' chest. "And we currently have more urgent matters to deal with." he scolded the trio, Mike the only one to quickly look contrite.

"It's mainly bruising Sensei. It looks worse than it is." assured Don.  
"Be that as it may, it still requires tending to." affirmed Splinter, his warm smile failing to hide his worry before he turned a stern gaze back on the others. "Michelangelo, Leonardo; assist your brother to his room. Raphael; fetch the medical supplies. There will be no more bickering. What I do need to hear is; just how all this has occurred?"  
"Oh boy Master, do we have a tale to tell you!" Mike grinned, already kneeling to slip an arm under Dons' shoulder.

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It was late. Splinter took a moment to rub some of the fatigue from his eyes prior to reaching for the door knob. He wasn't sure what to expect; would Tausha be sleeping? He hadn't heard a sound from her room since she had fled to it some hours before. However, light still shone through the narrow gap beneath her door.

To his surprise Splinter found her sitting cross-legged in the middle of her neatly made bed, as if meditating. She had changed into her usual attire, her hair mussed but tied back in a simple pony-tail once more. Her duffle bag was placed before her. The rest of the room was bare, aside from one corner where her pink evening dress and a plethora of hair pins and combs had been tidily stacked away.

She looked up as Splinter quietly entered and closed the door; her cheeks streaked with make-up where tears had made it run.  
"Please don't send me back to Dad." implored Tau, her tone unexpectedly steady. "I won't argue if you tell me to leave. But please, let me find somewhere else to stay. I've worked so hard to... If I went back to Dad now, I doubt he'd ever let me go home." her voice cracked.  
"Do you wish to leave?" asked Splinter.  
"Like this? No." she admitted timidly.  
"Why then have you readied your belongings?" he quirked an eyebrow.

Tau took a deep breath; looking to the fingers she had steepled in her lap.  
"Leo once said that if he ever caught me doing anything like that with..., uh. Anyway, that he'd send me back to Dad." she explained hurriedly. "And I... I made such a fool of myself. Of Raph! I don't know how I'm ever gonna be able to face hi... any of them, again."

Splinter paused to consider her answer. Tau barely glanced his way as he moved to take a seat on the edge of her bed, allowing a resigned sigh to escape him.  
"From what I have gathered from my sons' accounts, you have all had quite an adventure." he began. "There have been many questions raised in my mind that I believe only you can answer regarding what occurred and the current situation. However, there are only a small number I require an answer for now." The Sensei waited patiently as she plucked up the courage to look him in the eye and give a ghost of a nod.

"Prior to this evening, you have always insisted that Raphael was no more than a friend to you. Was that the truth?" he asked levelly. Despite his calm tone, Tau felt Splinters' sharp gaze would see through any bluff she might try.  
"Yeah. I've tried to keep what we have from going any further than friendship. Tonight was the first time I really... failed." she admitted quietly.  
"Do you care for my son?" Splinter pressed. Tau fidgeted for a moment.  
"Yes." she whispered, quickly adding in a louder voice; "The last thing I want is to see him hurt. I don't mean to cause trouble between..." she petered out as Splinter held up a finger for silence.

"Do you intend to follow through with your plan to leave for Melbourne?" was his next query. Again Tau took a little time to answer, chewing on her lip in the interim.  
"Yes. I still feel it's what I need to do." she confessed warily.  
"What, then, do you expect from your relationship with Raphael now?"  
"Honestly?" asked Tau rhetorically, Splinter giving her a small nod regardless. "I really don't know. I don't think I can answer that until I talk with him about it."

The silence stretched as Splinter mulled over what he had learned, until Tau started to shift uneasily under his intense gaze. He finally released her from his look; a brief, but warm, smile flittering across his features.  
"I have made it clear to my sons that, whilst the majority of them are in favour of you remaining with us, I will not object to you living in our home. I don't believe you have any need to fear eviction at this point. And let me assure you that, if we we're to expel you, we would not force you to return to your Father."

"Thank you." whispered Tau, with a small, uncertain smile.  
"I can understand that you may feel a little self-conscious regarding tonight's events. However, I doubt Raphael has any qualms about interacting with you again. The same goes for any of my sons for that matter. If you wish to remain living in the Lair you will have to find the courage to face them all." advised the Sensei. Tau nodded her understanding.

"However," Splinter continued. "I will instruct my sons that they are not to raise what occurred this evening in conversation, with anyone, unless you or Raphael initiate the topic."  
"Thank you!" breathed Tau in relief, her flicker of a grin stronger this time. Splinter allowed his sombre expression to succumb once again to a slight smile.

"I will inform my sons of this restriction." he assured, rising from his seat. "Will you give me your word that you will handle this situation… prudently?"  
"Um, yeah, of course. I'll try my best to."  
"Good. Domo-arigato Tausha-san." Splinter bowed his head then turned to leave, quietly closing the door behind himself.

Heaving a sigh Tau touched a hand to the tear of relief that began to trickle down her cheek. Glancing at the fluid she'd collected she grimaced at the dark smudge on her fingertip. On impulse she rubbed her hands brusquely over her face, wanting to be free of the cloying feeling of the makeup on her skin. But she only succeeded in making more of a mess of her face, and her hands. With a grunt of disgust Tau headed to her door.

She paused with her hand on the knob, gripped by a sudden fear of what might be awaiting her on the other side. Putting on a brave face she wrenched open the door to see… an empty alcove. With another sigh of relief she hurried to the guest bathroom.

Almost an hour later Tau re-emerged, her hair wrapped up in a towel atop her head. The slightly uncomfortable damp cling of her clothes did nothing to detract from the contented grin on her face. After almost a week roughing it aboard the Halcon del Mar she couldn't remember ever having enjoyed a shower so much.

"I have some questions to ask of you." Leos' stern tone as he materialized out of the shadows made Tau near jump out of her skin.  
"AH! Oh?! You… you do?" she fretted, backing up against the bathroom door as he stepped closer.  
"Yes. And I hope you'll do me the courtesy of giving me the permission to do so." he didn't ask, the slightest hint of sarcasm in his tone.  
"Um…, sure?" cringed Tau.  
"Why did you lie to me about being nothing more than a friend to my brother?" interrogated Leo…

Many minutes later Tau stumbled into her room, intensely grateful that Leo had finally released her from his inquisition.

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Don was sat at his main computer within the lab, ostensibly catching up with his emails and forums, and the diagnostics that had been left running prior to their unexpected departure from the Lair. He'd expected much more to have piled up in his in-box, having been away for six days. However, by his Fathers' account, they had only been missing from their own time for little more than a few minutes. It was a simple enough concept, but a reality Don, his family and particularly Tau were still coming to grips with. So much so that Splinter had insisted the girl take the afternoon off work to give them all a chance to recuperate from their ordeal.

Realising he was subconsciously running a hand over the wound on his chest again, Don leaned back with a sigh, giving up the pretence of concentrating on what he was doing. He just had too many questions on his mind, and kept wondering about possible ways he could get either Raph or Tau alone in order to get some answers. Unfortunately Leo had made it very clear that he had decided to take Splinters' edict of silence regarding what had happened between Raph and the girl very seriously.

Breakfast that morning had been a little tense, not that Don had found that surprising. However, the way Leo had insisted on shutting down almost all conversation at the table hadn't helped the atmosphere one iota. And Don had felt sorry for Raph and Tau, since they barely got to speak to each other at all after sharing a reserved "Hey." with each other in greeting.

Don had hoped to catch a moment alone with Tau in the kitchen as she helped clear the table, Raph and Leo distracted as they were having 'words' at that point. But to his dismay Mike had beaten him to the opportunity.

Things hadn't improved during their light training session, or lunch. If anything the tension had gotten worse. And the fact that Mike had seemed a little glum after his chat with Tau had piqued Dons' curiosity all the more.

Preoccupied with his thoughts, Don didn't realise he wasn't alone until he heard the chair behind him creak as someone dropped heavily upon it. Swivelling his seat Don spotted Tau, sitting at the desk she usually worked at when she helped with repairs to the electrical goods they recycled from the trash. Her elbows were resting on the wooden surface, her face buried in her hands.

Unsure what to say and worried Tau was upset, Don tarried a few moments before he scooted his chair over and broke the silence.  
"Hey Tau." he began quietly. "What's…?"  
"No." she snapped, lifting her head to glare briefly at Don. "Yes. Yes. And I have no friggin' idea. That answer your questions?"  
"Uh… Not really, no." said Don, a touch taken aback. "It would help if I knew what the 'questions' were." he pointed out tentatively.

Tau heaved a sigh.  
"I'm sorry Don, I shouldn't take this out on you. It's just, everyone else has grilled me on this already. Well, everyone but Raph. He's the one I really need to talk to, and I can barely even look at him without Leo getting in the way." she lamented.  
"_Everyone_ has spoken to you about what happened with Raph?" asked Don, feeling he'd fallen behind the eight-ball.  
"Yeah." nodded Tau. "And they've basically all asked me the same questions." She sighed again, and began tracing the scars on the tabletop with her finger.

"And those questions were…?" prompted Don after a long moment, making Tau start.  
"Sorry!" she offered him, along with a sheepish smile. "Firstly; we weren't lying before, when people asked if Raph and I were only friends. I thought that was all we'd ever be. But sometimes… things change." she explained.  
"Oh." acknowledged Don. "So that's the 'no'?" At Taus' nod Don asked, "So the first 'yes' was...?" To his surprise the girls' cheeks flushed red as she fiddled with her fingers in her lap, chewing her lip.

"Tau?" Don prodded.  
"I do care for him." she admitted quickly, and very quietly, refusing to look up. "But I'm not gonna stay." she continued, her voice growing a little louder. "I can't! I've worked too hard to throw everything away now, and I… I just can't. Please understand." Tau begged, looking Don in the eye. Hesitantly, Don gave a nod.  
"I understand that Tau, you know I do." he assured softly.  
"Thank you." Tau smiled in relief. "You have no idea how bad Mike made me feel about that…" she petered out, her face pained. "I know it doesn't seem fair." she added in a whisper.  
"Perhaps not." reasoned Don, "But you need to do what you need to do Tau. And no one can claim you haven't given Raph fair warning of that." Tau managed a grateful smile in response.

Returning her smile, Don reached to clasp her arm gently in consolation.  
"So was that one answer, or two?" he probed, quirking an eye-ridge.  
"Two." Tau confessed. "The last thing everyone wants to know is; what is the relationship between Raph and I now?"  
"And you have no idea?" Don guessed the answer.  
"Nope!" Tau gave a humourless chuckle. "Until I can talk to Raph about it I don't have a clue. I don't know if he really wants to risk being anything more than friends. I'm not even sure if I do! Until the two of us get a chance to talk about all this… I just don't know." she admitted, dropping her head and shoulders in defeat.

"I'm sure you'll both find a way to work this all out." assured Don. Slowly Tau lifted her head, finding a small brave smile to give. Her expression faltered as shouts and loud thumps reached them from the dojo; Leo and Raph 'sparring'.  
"Yeah." breathed Tau in resignation. "I'm sure we will." Don was convinced she was being sincerely ironic. "You got any other questions?" she asked flatly.  
"Uh, no." said Don, deciding it best to save his other queries for later. "But I do have some work to catch up on. Wanna help?"  
"Heck yeah." nodded Tau in gratitude.


	16. Chapter 16

A/N: Thanks very muchly to artykidd for beta-reading this chapter.

DISCLAIMER: I don't own the TMNT, or any related characters (much to their relief, I'm sure!) If there is anything else in this story you recognise from somewhere else, then I don't own that either.

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Don lifted his head from where he was leaning into the engine bay of the Battle-Shell. Wiping the sweat from his brow, he unwittingly left a smear of grease across his forehead. He left another on his plastron as he ran his hand over the dull ache of the contusion still marring his chest.

Hearing an unexpected chink of metal Don glanced about, spotting Mike fiddling aimlessly with a pile of bolts on the workbench. Don briefly wondered why Mike wasn't playing his usual Sunday afternoon console games. Then he figured his brother was probably trying to escape the friction that was undoubtedly occurring in the Lair below during Taus' routine day off work; just as he was himself.

"Hey Mikey, pass me that crescent wrench please?" Don pointed out the device.  
"You know, it's really not fair." began Mike as he handed the wrench over. "It's been three days and Leo hasn't let 'em alone once! We should do something to help 'em out." Despite the lack of preamble, Don had a pretty good idea what his brother was talking about.  
"Like what Mikey?" sighed Don, his attention fixated on his labour.  
"I dunno." shrugged Mike. "You're the genius! There's gotta be something you can think of to help." Don responded with a roll of his eyes, not bothering to lift his head.

Mike leaned his shell against the van, absently kicking his heel against the tyre as he sank into deep thought. A few minutes later, frustrated, he shoved himself off the Battle-Shell to pace the warehouse. Every now and then Don would look up, to ensure Mike hadn't given up on his conundrum and started tinkering with anything he shouldn't be. The fifth time Don checked on his brother, Mike had stopped pacing and was stood in front of the Shell-Cycle, rubbing his chin in contemplation.

Concerned Mike might be cooking up a plan that could place the bike at any kind of risk, and therefore potentially impact on Mikes' own health, Don disrupted his brothers' cogitation.  
"What are you thinking about?" he enquired lightly. Mike didn't respond straight away, continuing to tap his chin as his eyes narrowed further in thought. Suddenly he perked his head, focused on Don.  
"Wha'cha doin' to the Battle-Shell Donnie?" asked Mike. Wondering if Mike had heard his own question at all, Don furrowed his brow.  
"Nothing much, she was due for a service is all." he shrugged, wiping grease off his hands with a rag.  
"Sooo." Mike drawled, "The chances of it breaking down are…?" Don shot Mike a level look.  
"Virtually nil." he assured; dead-pan.

Mike tucked his hands in his belt and looked to the floor he started to scuff with his foot.  
"Bummer." he muttered in quiet petulance. Propping his hands on his hips in indignation, Don challenged;  
"And that's a problem because…?"  
"Is there any way we could make it _seem_ like it's broken down, without actually breaking it?" asked Mike, impervious to his brothers' annoyance.  
"I, uh, sure. But, why would you want to do that?" Don questioned; a touch irately.  
"'cos all they need is time. Even just a little bit! You know, yesterday, when I went along to help watch over Tau, Leo wouldn't even let 'em both out of the Battle-Shell together to say goodbye! How are Raph an' Tau ever gonna get a chance to get together with Leo being such a…? A…?"  
"Over-protective big brother?" offered Don. Mike gave a grimace,  
"Yeah, well that's _one_ way to put it." he grumbled.

"You know Leos' only trying to stop Raph from getting hurt." reasoned Don. "Besides, there are no guarantees Raph and Tau would 'get together', no matter how much time they had to talk it over."  
"Of course they would!" Mike exclaimed. "How could they not?! And once Raph tells Tau how he really feels about her, there's no way she'll leave. So there's no way Raph'd get hurt!"  
"I don't know about that." Don cautioned.  
"What? I thought you were all for them gettin' together." pouted Mike, a hint of accusation in his tone.  
"I'm not opposed to it." declared Don. "But I also know it's much more complicated than you seem to think. The issues they have to work through run much deeper than how they feel about each other. I'd say both Raph and Tau are pretty clear on that front already."

Mike considered his brothers' words for a moment.  
"So, you saying they have a lot of other stuff they need to talk about first?" he prompted.  
"Well, yeah." shrugged Don.  
"So, you with me on this one then?" Mike smiled cajolingly. Don held up a finger, mouth open to argue the point. In the face of Mikes' growing devious grin, and realising he had essentially already lost this battle, Don figured that it would be easier on himself to simply concede now.  
"Alright Mikey." Don sighed in resignation. "Tell me your plan."

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Already settled with his seat-belt firmly in place, Leo ignored the dark look Raph shot at him as he climbed into the Battle-Shell. Since their return from the Caribbean Leo had made a point of claiming the passenger seat first whenever they took Tau to work, forcing Raph to drive and the girl to sit in the back. That way Leo could easily monitor every word the pair exchanged in the van.

Jerking on his own belt, Raph glanced over his shoulder to make sure Tau was strapped in before wrenching the key in the ignition. The engine sputtered once then died. Raph tried again, to no avail.  
"Damn it!" he punched the dash, turning the key a third time with enough force to warp the metal.  
"What's wrong?" asked Tau quietly as the motor failed again.  
"Fucked if I know!" snapped Raph, kicking open the door to bellow "DON!!"

In a matter of minutes the rest of the family were gathered about the Battle-Shell, watching Don as he tinkered under the hood.  
"Do you know what the problem is Donnie?" asked Leo, his tone clipped yet level.  
"Uh, no. Not really…" answered Don, not looking up from his very close inspection of the engine.  
"Didn't you service the Battle-Shell yesterday?" Leo pressed.  
"Um, yeah. But there seems to be… um, could it be…?" Don petered out, leaning even further into the engine bay, his voice lost among the machinery.

Raph grimaced as he spotted Tau start to chew her lip in anxiety.  
"C'mon brainiac." he derided sarcastically. "We're gonna be friggin' late if you don't fix this thing now!" he emphasised his point by slapping his hand on the truck.  
"Raphael." Splinter interceded. "I am sure your brother is doing all he can to repair the Battle-Shell. Donatello is not to blame."

"Is there anything else we can do Don?" asked Leo. "What about taking the Sewer-Slider?"  
"Sorry Leo." Don shook his head as he straightened, finally meeting his brothers' eyes. "The Slider is in the middle of a major upgrade, it won't be operational for at least a few more days."  
"I'll give Case a call, maybe he can give us a ride." put in Raph, already pulling open his coat to fish his Shell-cell out of his belt.  
"And you'd better call your boss, Tau." Leo advised. "Even if Casey is available, by the time he gets here we're going to be late."

Tau concurred with a glum nod.  
"Mr Valentino won't be happy. He wasn't thrilled I took last Thursday off at such short notice. But, I suppose it can't be helped." she sighed.  
"Wait a second." Mike interceded quickly. "There is another way, and Tau could still get there on time."  
"How is that, my son?" prompted Splinter.  
"Raph can take her on his bike!" enthused Mike.

"I don't know…" hedged Leo, glancing about to gauge everyone's reactions. It seemed clear that neither Raph nor Tau had expected this turn of events. Still, Leo couldn't help feeling suspicious of his brothers' motives. "If they do that, then I can't go with them."  
"So?" shrugged Mike. "I'm sure Raph can keep himself outta trouble for one afternoon on his own. And Tau _will_ be workin'. What have you got to worry about, really?"  
"I…" Leo paused as Tau gripped his arm.  
"Please Leo?" she begged. "If I lose this job then I have no way of getting home. And you know I want that as much as you do."

Searching Taus' earnest gaze, spotting the way Raph grimaced at her words with his peripheral vision; Leo decided the girl was being honest.  
"Alright." he nodded hesitantly, then added the proviso, "I'll join you once the Battle-Shell is repaired."  
"Thank you Leo!" grinned Tau, giving his arm a grateful squeeze before dashing away to grab the spare helmet off its hook on the wall.  
"I won't be far behind you." Leo reminded his brother.  
"Yeah, thanks." deadpanned Raph as he sauntered past, following the girl.

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Tau had kept her head down for most of the trip to the Valentino's Bakery, burying her helmets' visor against the back of Raphs' long-coat. With her arms tight around him, she could feel the tension wound tight in the turtles' body, and silently willed him to relax. In part to enjoy this singular chance to spend some time together, touch in a way that wasn't related to training. But mostly so he would ease off the throttle as they weaved through the traffic at speeds and proximity that had Tau feeling more than a little nervous.

Reaching the alcove that undercut the building housing the Bakery, Tau leapt off the bike as Raph parked in the shadows at the far end of the loading bay. Convinced she was horribly late Tau only dallied to whisper "Thank you" and press a quick kiss to Raphs' cheek as soon as he pulled off his helmet before she raced away to the rear entrance. Pushing on the handle, the door wouldn't budge. Trying again with more force, Tau still couldn't move it. Confused she pulled out her Shell-cell to call her boss, and noticed the time displayed on the phones' screen.

Tau gave a weak chuckle as she turned to Raph, sensing him approach behind her.  
"Can you believe it? After all that, we're early!" she exclaimed, with a contrite grin.  
"Heh." Raph grunted flatly; his eyes flickering to the floor, to the empty alleyway.  
"I'm kinda glad we are though." said Tau quietly. "About the other night, we need to ta… Mmm!" not quite a protest as Raph cut her off with his mouth hard on hers.

Feeling her return the kiss, Raph dropped his helmet to pull her close even as he backed her against the brick wall. Taus' hands roamed up his shoulders to cup his face, drawing him into a deeper kiss for a few moments before she ran her hands down to their mouths, separating them. Raph scowled in confusion as Tau ran her thumb gently over his lips, both struggling for a calm breath.

"I'm sorry." whispered Tau. "But I can't do this anymore. I'm so tired of fighting…"  
"Tau." Raph growled low, driving his fist into the wall a few inches away from her head. It was an act of pure frustration, no threat intended or taken by it. "If you tell me one more time you just wanna be friends…" he looked away as his voice cracked.  
"No!" gasped Tau, using her hand on his cheek to urge him to face her. "That's not what I'm trying to say."  
"What is it then?" he asked warily.  
"I can't fight _this_ any longer." she explained. "I know there are so many reasons why we shouldn't, and none of them have gone anywhere, or are any less important now. But I… They're not reason _enough_ anymore." Tau looked him directly in the eye. "I want to be with you." she confessed softly.

Raph stared at her in stunned silence. Finally he gave a crooked smile and leaned forward to claim another kiss, to be stopped by Tau pushing his face back gently with her hands. At a loss for words he grimaced, baffled.  
"I want to be sure you want to be with me first." Tau answered the question in his eyes.  
"What? Of course I wanna be with you!" Raph exclaimed in exasperation.  
"I know that, but I want to know that you're okay with what that means." countered Tau, continuing before Raphs deepening scowl could translate to words. "I will be going back home, no matter what happens between us."

"No matter what…?" Raph repeated slowly, quirking an eye-ridge as various implications of the phrase registered.  
"Yeah." nodded Tau. "And I don't want you to… do anything you might regret. I need to go home. It's the only chance I have to make my own way, prove to Dad that I can stand on my own two feet. And to live up to all the promises I've made. I _have_ to do that Raph. But I don't want to squander this chance to possibly have something special with you either, even if it is only for a little while."

Raph swallowed thickly in the silence that fell, closing his eyes to savour Taus' touch as she gently ran her fingertips over his cheek.  
"And then there's Leo." Tau whispered. "He already makes life so difficult for us. But I'm more worried about it causing real trouble between you two, even after I'm gone. And I want to know that you've thought about all these things before we decide…"  
"I don't give a shit about what Leo thinks." muttered Raph. "And I know what I want; I don't have to think about all that crud." he declared, gripping her tighter.  
"Yes. You do." asserted Tau in earnest. They both froze as a loud click sounded signalling the dead-bolt on the inside of the Bakery door had been unlocked, relaxing again as the door itself remained closed.

"That's my cue." Tau sighed despondently. "Will you think about all this stuff before you make up your mind on… us? Please?" Raphs' lip curled, but he conceded with a halting nod. "Thank you." smiled Tau, pressing a lingering kiss to his cheek before trying to step away to the door.

Raph tugged her back to face him again. He searched her face briefly then gripped her hair to pull her into a hard kiss. Tau didn't offer any resistance for almost a minute, Raph letting her go a few long seconds after she started to lightly press her hand against his shoulder.  
"That was… just in case." he answered the stunned query in Taus' eyes. She gave him a hesitant, uncertain smile in reply that quickly vanished as she bit her lip.

"I, uh, I gotta go." she flustered, pointing over her shoulder towards the door she backed slowly towards. Raph stepped close to the loading bay wall, safely out of sight of anyone looking out of the entrance as Tau pulled the door open. She lingered a moment, glancing back at Raph with an expression he thought looked almost regretful.  
"Later?" she murmured, with a crooked smile.  
"Yeah, later." he replied, nonchalant. He waited until the door clicked shut behind her to slump against the wall, knocking his head repeatedly against the chill, unyielding brick.

-------- --------

At the sound of the elevator doors opening, Leo promptly left the book he'd been reading on the dining table to tail his brother into the downstairs bathroom.  
"What's the story Donnie?" he prompted as Don started scrubbing the grease off his hands.  
"It's a couple of the spark plugs Leo." replied Don, not looking up from the suds he was creating. "They're completely gone. I don't have any spare, and I don't know when I'll be able to source more."

"You… you _don't_ have a spare?" Leo asked, incredulous. "You always have a spare!"  
"Not this time Leo." Don shrugged, turning his back on his brother to dry his hands. "The Battle-Shell is a heavy duty vehicle. It takes specialist parts to make it run effectively, and those kinds of things aren't all that easy to get second hand; at least not in any kind of decent working order. I can build a few new ones of my own, but I'll still need to scavenge some extra materials to do that, and it'd take me a day or two regardless. Spark plugs may seem insignificant; however they're integral to the ignition process for any internal combustion engine. They work by…"  
"Okay Donnie. They're important. I get it." asserted Leo, rubbing his forehead in frustration.

Despite his own hand partially blocking his view, Leo caught the flicker of unhappiness on Dons' face before his brother walked out of the bathroom.  
"Don, I'm sorry!" called Leo, following Don across the Lair to the kitchen. "I appreciate everything you do, without you we wouldn't have the Battle-Shell at all. But I promised Raph I wouldn't be long in joining him. Our brother is out there alone!"

Don levelled a cynical look at his brother as he fetched a coffee cup out of the cupboard.  
"He's not alone Leo. I thought that was your problem." he deadpanned. Leo worked his jaw, trying to find a suitable argument. He settled for making himself a cup of tea in the interim, joining Don in sitting at the dining table to consume the drink.

"Raph, Mike and I can fore-go our training run tonight." Leo softly broke the quiet, his voice sincere. He eyed the dark marks that had only slowly begun to fade from his brothers' plastron. "If you're up for leaving the Lair we'll go to Junk Island instead, or wherever you want to go. We can all help you scavenge for any parts you need." Don took a long moment to answer, refusing to face his brother.  
"Thanks Leo." he finally muttered into his mug.  
"Is there anything else I can do to help?" Leo asked, growing concerned over Dons' demeanour.  
"No." sighed Don.

Out of the corner of his eye Leo watched as Don drained the last of his coffee, contemplated the dregs as if they were a fascinating specimen then put his mug down heavily, his shoulders slumping with the action.  
"Is there something else that's wrong?" queried Leo, placing a hand on his brothers' shoulder. Don started at the touch.  
"Uh, no! No. Nothing's wrong Leo." he assured hastily, giving an overbright smile. Leo didn't buy it.

"Hey guys! What's the haps?" Mike joined them at the table; cola can in hand and a grin on his face. "The Battle-Shell still cactus Donnie?"  
"Yeah Mike, it's not going anywhere for a while." Don assured flatly.  
"Bummer." shrugged Mike, Leo almost sure he caught his brother giving a wink as he tipped his head back to drink.  
"We're going to give Don all the help he needs to get the Battle-Shell running again. It's urgent Mike, so I don't want to hear any complaints about it." Leo instructed in a stern tone.  
"'s cool by me." Mike replied flippantly, his gaze wandering away to the far wall.

As he drained his tea cup with a slow, contemplative sip Leo kept a sharp eye on Mike. Apart from looking decidedly innocent, which only made Leo all the more suspicious, Mike didn't give away anything else.  
"Do you want me to take your cup Leo?" asked Don, already holding his hand out in anticipation of receiving it.  
"Here Donnie, I'll look after those." interjected Mike, standing to reach swiftly across the table to sweep up both empty cups.  
"I was only going to leave them in the sink. It's Raphs' turn to wash up tonight." Don called in half-hearted protest as Mike disappeared into the kitchen. The sound of running water and scrubbing reached the pair at the table a moment later. Leo and Don shared an incredulous look.

"Well, that's that done!" exclaimed Mike, brushing off his hands as he returned to the table. His broad smile faded quickly under the looks from his brothers. "What?" he shrugged defensively.  
"Why are you doing Raphs' chores?" probed Leo.  
"I can't give a guy a helping hand?" Mike objected.  
"Come to think of it, Leos' right. You have been doing _all_ of Raphs' jobs lately." Don pointed out.

Mike heaved a huge sigh in defeat.  
"I lost a bet, 'k?" he confessed.  
"A bet over what?" pressed Leo.  
"Over whether or not Tau would like that necklace I found. I reckon she woulda liked it, if it hadn't almost drowned her and… stuff." Mike pouted. Leo gave a small shake of his head.  
"That is one thing I do agree with her on Mike. That necklace has caused us nothing but trouble. It may have been a God-send for all those islanders, but for us it was more like… a curse!"  
"How can you say that bro?" exclaimed Mike. "If it hadn't been for that necklace Raph might never have gotten to first base with Tau!" Leo directed a chill glare at his brother,  
"That's one of the reasons _why_ I consider it cursed Mike."

Mike shook his own head, 'tching' and waving a finger in disagreement.  
"Be careful bro, you don't wanna go against Artyl."  
"Ayotl." Don corrected absently.  
"Whatever." shrugged Mike. "My point is the Turtle Gods have obviously given those two their blessings, or they wouldn't have made the two of 'em gettin' busy the key to us getting home."

Leo considered his brother carefully, wondering if he was actually being serious or not. With a sigh he conceded Mike was.  
"Uh huh." he finally uttered. "If that truly was the case Mike, why did we get sent back here before Raph could do anything really foolish? If anything that says to me that these 'Gods' of yours are in agreement with my point of view. They wanted to stop what was happening between those two. They know nothing good can come of it."  
"Nuh-uh!" Mike protested. "The Gods did that to show us all that there's no point trying to stop Raph an' Tau! So we could all see how much they dig each other. And so that _you_ would leave 'em in peace!"

Crooking a dubious eye-ridge, Leo opened his mouth as he tried to think of an argument that might finally get through to his stubbornly self-deluded brother. Don spoke before Leo could say a word,  
"Mike does have a point Leo." Leos' eye-ridge shot higher. "If you recall, you were on your way up to check on Raph at the time we returned. Be it by returning here, or back in the past, either way Raph and Tau were about to be disturbed. It could be argued that it happening here did make the event transparent to all, and possibly mitigated the long-term fall-out from it."  
"And you got dumped." chuckled Mike. "I don't think the Gods were 'on your side' bro!"  
"That's true as well." agreed Don. "Despite the fact Raph and Tau were on a higher level of the Halcon del Mar than you were when we relocated back here, you were the only one who didn't materialize a safe distance from the floor of the Lair."

Leo couldn't quite believe his ears. Mike he could count on to come up with crazy notions, but how could Don be buying into this absurdity?  
"You're both kidding me, right?" he asked in a no-nonsense tone. Mikes' grin grew wider as he shook his head, Don merely shrugged his denial. "Well, it's clear to me what the real trigger was to send us back home. It was Captain Reyes becoming the Commissionaire. That was obviously the best outcome for Kaelani and her people, gaining an ally with the political power to protect her tribe from further abuse. It just took a bit of time for the… 'magic' or whatever to kick in. It's purely coincidental that Raph has a knack for getting himself into trouble in no time at all."

"Yeah, but Kaelani also said _we'd_ gain something important from the whole thing too!" argued Mike.  
"And what did we gain Mike?" Leo asked cynically. "Apart from one badly wounded brother, and another in an even bigger mess than he was in before our little trip away, hmm?"  
"Well, if you hadn't of interrupted 'em, Raph coulda got laid and we woulda gained a sister that night!"  
"Oh geez…" muttered Leo, dragging his hand down his face.

"Actually, I don't think that was the 'gain' we were intended to receive Mike." put in Don, Leo lifting his head in hope that his intelligent brother had finally seen reason. "I believe it was something much more subtle than that."  
"Like what?" pressed Mike.  
"Like; Raph and Tau finally accepting what they _do_ feel for each other, and the truth of their relationship being made irrefutably clear to the rest of us. It gives us all hope that we can find someone… special, as well. Eventually…"  
"How's that any different from what I said?" Mike shrugged.  
"Well, for a start Mikey…"

Shaking his head in disbelief, Leo rose from the table.  
"I'm gonna go check them on the tracking monitors again." he muttered, leaving Mike and Don to their debate and heading to the elevator, making for the Battle-shell.


	17. Chapter 17

DISCLAIMER: I don't own the TMNT, or any related characters (much to their relief, I'm sure!) If there is anything else in this story you recognise from somewhere else, then I don't own that either.

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Raph leaned back against the seat of his bike, huddling in his long-coat to keep out the chill wind that whipped through the alleyway. At least the alcove afforded some protection from the cold, and the sleet that had forced him down early from the surrounding rooftops. He glared at the tempest. It had made him to do the one thing he didn't want to. Up on the roofs he could train, spy on the street-punks and bums that inhabited the surrounding alleys, or find any number of other things to do to keep himself occupied; to not have to think.

At first Raph had been steadfast in his resolve that he knew what he wanted, stubbornly refusing to take Taus' advice. But, being trapped within the loading bay, he'd been left with little choice. And the more he thought on what Tau had said to him that morning, the tighter his clenched fists became.

The storm finally started to ease, enough that Raph heard the click of the dead-bolt being released on the rear entrance to the bakery. Tau stepped out, waved goodbye to someone still inside, then closed the door, the lock quickly being snapped back into place. With an uncertain grin, she walked over to Raph. Her steps grew cautious as he didn't smile or relax his tense stance, his arms crossed tightly across his chest.

"Hey?" Tau offered in tentative greeting. Raph growled.  
"This ain't fair."  
"Wha…?" her face fell into confusion.  
"This! This 'having to think' crap," spat Raph. "What do you think? That I can just turn off how I feel about ya, just 'cos it might all be too hard? If that were true, I'da done it already! And what about you? Could you do that? Huh?!"  
"Uh, no, but…" whispered Tau.  
"Then what the fuck is the point of giving me the choice to say 'no'?!" Raph snarled, tossing his hands in the air. "'cos it 'aint much of a fucking choice now, is it."

Tau flinched backwards a step.  
"I… I don't want us to do anything… rash. I don't want to rush into anything, and I was worried that if we get the chance for some time alone that we'll just… That we won't take the time to… build and… enjoy what we have!" she bit her lip, valiantly blinking back tears.  
"You think I'm gonna jump ya, first chance I get?!"  
"No! I didn't mean it like that! But living with you every day, yet not getting any chance to spend any real time together, makes it so… hard. If things keep going the way they are, I'm not sure I could control _myself_. If we hadn't been transported back to the Lair when we did, God knows what would have happened! And then there's all the hassles with Leo, and Dad, and everything!"

Unsure what to say, Raph stuck with glaring at Tau as she drew a shaky breath before continuing,  
"I have no idea what to do about them, and we never get to talk about it. So I just keep thinking about it all over and over, and it never makes any more sense!" she gripped her head in her hands, "It's all such a mess in my head! And I… I…" she faltered as she felt Raphs' hand on her cheek, gently urging her to meet his eyes. Reluctantly she complied, not wanting to face his anger again. His face was still hard, but there was a softness in his eyes that Tau was grateful to see.

"You think too much." said Raph quietly.  
"These aren't things we can ignore…!" Tau was halted by Raph raising a strict finger to her.  
"Stop it." he ordered brusquely.  
"But…?"  
"I said, 'Stop.'" Raph reiterated, his tone still holding a stern edge. He cupped Taus' face, drawing her into deep kiss before she could protest again.

Despite moaning into his mouth as their tongues met, Tau held herself taut. Wanting her to relax, Raph ran his hands down to her shoulders, kneading away the knots in her muscles with slow, hard circles of his fingertips. Eventually Tau went lax in his grip, leaning into him as he broke their kiss to look her in the eye.  
"I want this." he murmured, his voice low and husky, "You want this?" Tau sucked in half of her lower lip then managed a crooked half-smile regardless and gave a small nod. "Then why give a shit what anyone else wants?" pressed Raph.

Taus' gaze flickered away for a moment. She tentatively met his eyes again before she gave an uncertain shrug. Unable to contain himself, Raphs' lips twitched into a smug smirk, the look quickly concealed as he kissed her deeply again. Tau offered no resistance, her hands soon making their way up to his shoulders, pulling Raph closer. His hands started wandering lower, leaving her shoulders to rub her lower back in languid circuits, surreptitiously strengthening his hold on her to draw their bodies closer together.

Raph groaned as Taus' fingertips explored beneath his coat collar, spreading across the top of his plastron, and the crease of sensitive skin that edged it. He took her roaming as tacit approval to do some exploring of his own, running his palm over Taus' butt. His hand moulded to her cheek, and Raph couldn't resist giving it a strong squeeze. Despite Tau giving a little squeak and nudging up against him in response, it was Raph that broke their kiss.

"And I'll try not to… Let me know if I'm pushing anything, or whatever. We can figure this out, together. 'k?" he murmured. Tau glanced away, giving her head a little absent nod, and making Raph wonder if she were rolling her butt backward slightly, deeper into his grip upon it on purpose, or if he were just imagining it. There was a glimmer of relief in her eye as she met his again.  
"'k." breathed Tau. Her lips quirked into an impish grin, that didn't falter as she gasped, Raph giving her butt-cheek another squeeze. His own smile grew roguish, sure now his mind wasn't playing tricks. Tau groaned happily, tipping her head back, her eyes fluttering closed as Raph staked his claim upon her other cheek as well.

Kneading her ass, Raph used his grip to draw Tau hard up against his chest. So hard he lifted her onto her toes, giving him easier access to nuzzle and nip her exposed throat. Tau almost knocked off his hat in her eagerness to grasp the back of his head, pulling him closer to help her efforts to push past his collar to taste the skin of his neck with her own lips.

Not satisfied, wanting to feel her closer still, Raph spun about, taking Tau with him to deposit her upon the seat of his bike. Unfortunately his plan to press her against the leather of the saddle was stymied somewhat by her knees in the way. Both grunting in frustration, they tried shifting one way and then another to get closer again, until Raph grabbed her knees, roughly pulling them apart to fit himself between them.

He halted as he realised what he had done, both hands still gripping her legs splayed either side of him, her crotch now snug against his. Despite their clothes being in the way, the sight and feel of it sent an electric shiver through his entire body. Slowly Raph raised his head to meet Taus' eyes, fearful he'd gone too far, and not sure he could release his grip on her even if he had.

Tau seemed as dumbstruck as he was. Eyes locked, she swallowed thickly, and then moved. Carefully she wrapped her legs around his waist, finding she had to shift them slightly to accommodate the ridge of his shell within the crook of her knees. Her tightening grip drove a low, guttural growl from Raphs' throat. Tangling his fingers firmly in her hair, his other hand returning to grip her denim-clad butt tight, Tau was given little choice but to accept his mouth dominating hers. She rolled her hips forward, to prove her appreciation. The chorus of their groans grew louder, more persistent, starting to echo within the alcove…

-------- --------

"Don? Donnie?!" called Leo, stalking out of the elevator, across the Lair to the laboratory "Something's wrong with the Battle-shell."  
"I know that Leo." Don paused in looking away from his computer screen for a fraction of a second, just long enough to hide the roll of his eyes before facing his brother. "I did try to explain the issues with the engine to you not more than two hours ago."  
"I don't mean the engine Don, now the power has gone in it as well."

Eyeing Leo for a moment, a small frown knit Dons' brow before he hauled himself out of his chair and followed his brother up to the warehouse. Sure enough, flicking a couple of switches on the equipment inside the van confirmed Leos' complaint.  
"Hmmm… That's odd." Don rubbed his chin in contemplation. "What were you doing when the power failed?"  
"Keeping an eye on the tracking monitor." explained Leo with a slight shrug. "From what I could tell, Tau had just finished her shift. Thankfully she appeared to stay inside the building all afternoon. But when it looked like she walked out of the bakery and met up with Raph, the screen went blank. Just like that.

"Ah, so you've been using the tracking system all afternoon?" queried Don.  
"Well, yes." Leo admitted. "I wanted to make sure Raph and Tau didn't attempt anything foolish. We need to get the system back on-line now, Don. There's no telling what those two might…"  
"I'm afraid it's not going to be 'back on-line'." Don interceded. "Not anytime soon at any rate. You've drained the Battle-shells' battery Leo. And since there's no point me jump-starting the engine since the spark plugs aren't… are faulty, I'm going to have to pull the battery out and recharge it over-night."

Don stepped out of the vans' back door, making his way quickly to lift the bonnet. Leo was at a loss; wondering how he'd gotten so caught up in what he was doing to overlook something so obvious.

"Don, I… I'm s-" Leo started uncertainly, walking down the side of the Battle-shell to join his brother, pausing at the sight of the grimace on Dons' face as he tried to heft the battery. "Here, let me do that." offered Leo. Don levelled a look at his brother then conceded the task to Leo. Stepping clear Don half-raised his hand to the welt on his chest, then forced it back to his side as he realised what he was doing.

With a grunt Leo shoved the battery onto the adjacent bench-top.  
"It wasn't your fault Don." he assured in a quiet tone. "What happened with that ship, you couldn't have foreseen it. You have nothing to be ashamed of." Don gave a weak, half-hearted chuckle.  
"Thanks Leo." he replied flatly, refusing to meet his brothers' eyes.

With a silent sigh Leo figured nothing he could say would make Don feel any better right now. Biting down on his urge to bother his brother any further by asking for aid with his current self-inflicted dilemma, Leo settled for grasping Don's shoulder in consolation as he walked past to the elevator.

"Leo." Don called softly after him, making Leo pause. "All I can suggest is waiting until they are due home. If they aren't on time, give them a call then. Okay?"  
"Okay. And, thanks." Leo smiled crookedly, relieved to see Don return the gesture.

"Hey, Leo?" Don called again as Leo stepped away, waiting until his brother looked back to him before he continued. "And I am sorry. For all the frustration the Battle-shell breaking down has caused you."  
"There's no need for you to apologise, Don. There was no way you could have known-"  
"No!" Don looked almost as surprised himself as Leo did at his abrupt interruption. "I, uh, I mean, there _is_ a need for me to apologise. I just need you to trust me on that."

Searching his brothers' eyes, the apprehension in them, Leo held his questions in check. He'd suspected there was more to the Battle-shell being out of commission so conveniently for some. But he also figured Don wasn't the one behind the plot. After all, if it had been Dons' idea, Leo doubted he'd be all but admitting there had been something going on behind his back. And if keeping the secret from him had been the cause of Dons' obvious unease all day, Leo decided his brother had suffered enough.

"Okay Don. I trust you. I accept your apology. And thank you." Offering a warm smile and a bow to Don, who practically slumped in relief in response, Leo made his way out of the warehouse.

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Raph had one hand braced on the saddle of his bike, gripping it tightly. Partly to prevent both he and Tau toppling right over the bike, leaning as far over it as they were. Partly to keep the bike itself upright, with the force of their weight pushed hard against it. His other hand was busy, avidly roaming Taus' bare back beneath her shirt.

Tau didn't require much support from his hand on her as she clung to him with arms and legs, despite the drop yawning below her on the far side of the saddle. Neither giving much mind to the occasional soft creak of protest from the bike, barely audible over the loud groans and gasps they were making themselves.

Raph cracked open an eye, refusing to break their kiss, wondering how he could start to work Taus' (and his own) jeans off without relinquishing their current position. Suddenly something caught between his hip and her thigh started to vibrate. Tau broke their kiss with a look of surprise.

"Is that your phone in your pocket, or are you just happy to see me?" she quipped with a disappointed chuckle.  
"Ha. Ha ha." Raph didn't laugh, trying to keep his sarcasm mild. The last thing he wanted to do was antagonize Tau. She wasn't the one he was annoyed with, and he didn't want anything to come between them now.

Awkwardly Raph juggled about to shove his arm between them and into his coat to get to his belt-pocket. As a result, Tau almost fell backward off the bike. At that point Raph realised it was futile trying to stay clasped together as they were. Resignedly he pulled Tau upright as he took a half-step back.

His ring-tone had almost finished playing by the time he managed to fish his Shell-cell out of his pocket. Flipping up the cover, he grimaced at the caller ID.  
"What are you going tell him?" Tau asked, guessing who it was from Raphs' expression.  
"Nuthin'." asserted Raph flatly, purposefully clicking his phone shut to let it ring-out a moment later.

"We have to tell him something." pointed out Tau softly. "Leo's going to be wondering why you didn't answer."  
"What d'ya want me to tell him, huh?" challenged Raph. "That we're too busy doin' the one thing he doesn't want us to, to friggin' chat to him right now? I'm sure he'd be just fine with _that_." Lip curling, Raph stared at the stoic brick wall, searching it in vain for a solution.  
"Well, no. But maybe… Maybe if we can convince him we were already on our way home or something, he'd trust us enough to let you drop me off at work again. Alone." Tau suggested with a shrug.

Raph continued to gaze over her shoulder a moment, frozen in thought. Suddenly he grabbed both sides of her head to plant a fierce kiss to her lips. Left reeling, the next thing Tau knew her helmet had been shoved into her hands and Raph was pushing her leg across the saddle to make her straddle it. He mounted the bike himself an instant later.

Tau heard the first bars of Eminems' 'Lose Yourself' before it was lost in the roar of the engine being gunned. Desperately Tau tugged on her helmet. She finished shoving it into place with one hand as she grasped Raphs' jacket in a death-grip with the other. Not a moment too soon as the bike shot out of the alcove, rocketing down the narrow alleyway in the opposite direction to the one they normally took home. A few skidded turns later through the maze of alleys, Raph brought the bike to an abrupt halt. He had his Shell-cell in his hand, pressing the call answer button before the engine noise had died.

"Raph! Why…" the deep scowl Leo had on his face as his call was answered quickly turned to contrition as he took in the view of Raph pulling off his helmet, the unfamiliar alley walls in the background.  
"What's up Leo? Did you try callin' a minute ago? The traffic's hell today! I couldn't get outta it in time to answer." Raph explained sincerely.  
"Uh, nothing's 'up'." smiled Leo, the look strained. "I was just concerned you seemed to be running a little late. Wanted to make sure nothing had happened to you both, is all."

Raphs' eyes flickered to the small digital clock displayed at the bottom of his phones' screen.  
"We're not usually home for another five minutes." he deadpanned. "And I c'n tell ya we're gonna be late today. Definitely, now."  
"Oh. Ok. Thanks for letting me know Raph." conceded Leo, looking a touch sheepish. "Sorry to have kept you any longer. Hurry home… _safely_, ok?"  
"Yeah. 'k Leo."

Hanging up with a resolute snapping shut of his phone, Raph grinned back over his shoulder at Tau, a glint of victory in his eye. It was he could do to resist pulling her helmet off and giving her a kiss as she grinned back at him through her visor. But his gut was telling him he needed to head home as quickly as possible, or else he'd squander whatever upper-hand it was he'd just gained with his brother.

Raph settled for bringing her hand up, planting a quick kiss to her fingertips as he gave her a conspiratorial wink. Shoving his helmet roughly back on, he relished the feel of the girl, his girl, wrapping her arms tight around him. Raph gunned the engine and took off down the alley, popping a wheelie for joy.

-------- --------

"So nothing, uh… '_untoward_' happened at all today, huh?" probed Mike, setting the last of the bowls on the table for dinner.  
"Nup." replied Raph, his voice already muffled by a mouthful of teriyaki chicken.  
"Musta been boring for ya, sitting around all that time on your own." Mike took his seat beside his brother. Raph gave a dismissive shrug, in no rush to take a break from shovelling rice into his mouth.  
"Gotta be done, bro." he finally lilted casually.  
"Yes, it does." Leo agreed quietly with a nod. "And I owe you an apology Raphael."

The whole table paused, all looking to Leo in a mixture of surprise and anticipation.  
"I'll admit I was concerned you might take having some time to yourself with Tausha as an opportunity to do something foolish. I was wrong. And I should have given you the benefit of the doubt. I am sorry, Raph."

The attention of those at the table shifted to Raph. Not that he seemed to notice as he continued to regard Leo with a cool, almost disinterested look. He placed his chopsticks down with deliberate care.  
"Huh." Raph deadpanned. "What 'time to ourselves' would that be, Leo? The time Tau is busy workin', or the time we spend travellin' there and back? 'cuz I gotta tell ya, spendin' time in a freezin' alley ain't exactly what I call 'cozy'." his tone a level parody of his brothers'.

Leos' eyes narrowed, almost imperceivably.  
"I had assumed, incorrectly it would seem, that it would be quicker for you to get home from the bakery on the Shell-cycle." Raph gave a loud scoff in retort.  
"Gees Leo, you've been tellin' me for ages I need to take more care on my bike. And now, when I do, 'cos I have Tau riding on the back, you get all shitty 'cos I don't travel faster than the rest of the traffic?! I can't stop you playin' yer broken records, Leo. But at least pick a tune and stick with it, will ya?"

With a dismissive shake of his head Raph turned his attention back to his meal. Some more gradually than others, the rest at the table followed suite.  
"So, like, does this mean you're ok with Raph takin' Tau to work on his own then?" Mike asked cautiously. Leo paused to consider a long moment.  
"When it is necessary, yes." he answered carefully.  
"Sooo… it's ok until the Battle-shell is fixed?"  
"Yes, Mikey." Leo nodded, the set of his lips grave.  
"What about after that?"  
"After that we'll just have to take it a day at a time."

Quiet fell for a moment.  
"Oh, uh, good!" Don spoke up hesitantly. "Because using the Battle-shell everyday does impact severely on our vehicle outlay. In terms of both our fuel costs and maintenance needs. Alternating, at least, with the Shell-cycle is a more efficient option in the long term."

Don ducked his head, suddenly absorbed in chasing the last grains of rice around his bowl, as Leo levelled a penetrating gaze in his direction. After a long moment of consideration, Leo gave a slight nod.  
"That's a fair call Don. Thank you."

Addressing the rest of his brothers, Leo continued,  
"Speaking of vehicle maintenance, we'll be skipping our training run tonight to scavenge for the parts Don needs to repair the Battle-shell instead. I trust everyone is fine with that?"  
"Yep!" exclaimed Mike.  
"Sure." Raph shrugged.  
"Thanks Leo." smiled Don.  
"Can we take Tau with us?" Mike perked to ask.  
"No." Leo answered immediately.

"Why not?" demanded Raph. "It's not a trainin' run, she should be able to keep up with us…"  
"It's still not safe for her to be out on the streets anymore than is necessary, Raph. You know that."  
"The streets?! What friggin' 'streets' are there out on the harbour? You've taken her out to Junk Island yourself before, why can't she come with all of us goin'? Surely she's 'safer' with all of us bein' there?"  
"We still have to get there and back, Raph. On foot. And if we end up carrying a lot of salvage back tonight, we won't be able to defend Tau as easily as we normally could."

"We have seen a lot of Purple Dragon activity down by the docks lately…" Don added, quick to escape Raphs' glare by leaving the table to carry his dirty dishes to the kitchen.  
"Exactly." Leo stated with finality.  
"But…!"  
"The points your brothers make are valid ones, Raphael." Splinter interceded, his tone firm and calm, effectively ending the dispute.

With a low growl Raph shoved away from the table, roughly grabbed a few dirty bowls and stalked into the kitchen. Mike close on his heals with the last of the dishes.  
"Can I, um, ask you a favour?" Tau softly asked Leo, before he could rise from the table.  
"Of course." replied Leo, wondering why she was nervously chewing her lip.  
"If you do see anything of the Purple Dragons, can you… Can you find out how my Dad is doing? I don't want to go back to him or anything." Tau assured hurriedly. "But I… I miss him. And lately I've been, worried about him."

"Worried? Why?" probed Leo gently.  
"I… It's kinda hard to explain. But when I ki…" her voice cracked, the colour draining from her face for an instant. "Let's just say, now I know how fragile life can be, it's made me realise just how dangerous a life my Dad leads."  
"Okay Tau." Leo clasped her arm in consolation. He wasn't sure just what had upset her so, but it was clear to him she was truly concerned for her father. "You have my word that we'll find out how your Father is faring. Soon, if we can't tonight."

-------- --------

The concrete of the warehouse floor was grimy, hard and chill. But Tau didn't care as she knelt beside the Battle-shell, digging through a tool box for the wrench Raph had asked for. At least, the one she thought he'd asked for. His voice was a little hard to hear, what with all but his legs disappearing under the chassis as Don tinkered noisily about under the open bonnet.

It seemed that, these last few days, not only had Leo acquiesced to Raph and Tau spending time together unescorted in relation to her work at the bakery, he was also starting to become a little relaxed regarding chaperoning them constantly about the Lair as well. Somehow Leo had persuaded Mike to help him perfect a new set of kata for the nunchucku; resulting in the two of them spending an additional couple of hours in the dojo each day. However, Leo still had the knack of materializing silently in the doorway if Raph and Tau happened to disappear into a room alone together for more than a few minutes regardless.

Still, it was a change Tau was most grateful for. And one she was very cautious about risking. As much as it annoyed Raph at times, she tried to enforce them only spending so much time together after her work finished before they headed home. And limiting any other touches and kisses Raph attempted to steal when they were in the Lair, as well as she could given she was trying to fend off an expert ninja at any rate.

Finding the tool she'd been searching for, Tau picked it up. The shine on the silver metal drew her gaze along its length. The manufacturers' mark caught her eye; an embossed schooner. The memories it evoked of a certain pirate had her subconsciously running a finger over her lip when a grip on her inner thigh, a touch higher than necessary, broke her out of her reverie.

"You ok?" asked Raph, as he brought the creeper he was laying on to a halt beside her.  
"Uh, yeah!" Tau smiled brightly.  
"You sure?" Raph probed again, wondering why she was barely looking him the eye.  
"Yeah, I was just… remembering something."  
"What?"

Tau considered a moment. There were a few things she had mulled over telling Raph about their recent adventure. One thing in particular, weighed on her conscience. But she worried he'd get upset over hearing about the way Iago had kissed her. Was it worth putting what she and Raph had together now at risk? And did it really matter that some guy, who at this point in time had been dead for centuries, had tried to get pushy with her. It wasn't like she had led him on, or had let him go too far before she'd put a halt to things. Or that Raph would be able to vent his anger at the Spaniard now.

With a small shrug, Tau decided it would cause less stress for both her and Raph to keep the details of the incident to herself. Although there was one doubt it had raised in her mind she did want to address.  
"Do you like kissing me?" she asked softly. Raphs' expression in response seriously questioned her grasp of reality.  
"What the…? Of course I like kissing you! What the hell would make you ask that?"  
"I dunno." Tau hedged, taking to chewing her lip. "I just want to make sure you don't find my lips too… squishy."  
"Squishy?" Raph quirked an eye-ridge, desperately trying to stifle a chuckle.

Tau looked away from him, heaving a sigh of despair.  
"Hey." Raph murmured in her ear, making Tau jump. She hadn't sensed, let alone heard, him sit up at all. Raph took advantage of her gasp in surprise, pulling her into a deep, probing kiss she had no chance of defending against. Gripping her hair to control her head, he broke the lip-lock to look her in the eye.  
"Your lips are squishy." he asserted in a no-nonsense tone, his voice guttural. "And that's just the way I like 'em." He proved his point by kissing her hard again.

Raph released her suddenly to lean back on his elbows, studying her as she scrabbled briefly to regain her bearings.  
"Better?" he grinned roguishly. Tau blushed, smiling in return.  
"Um yeah, thanks." Her expression turned serious as she glanced quickly about the warehouse. "You have to be careful doing that though. We don't want your family to see…"  
"Pfft! Only Donnie's in here with us, and I doubt he'd even notice. Once he gets started on a project, nuthin' can distract him. Speaking of which, I need to get this job finished for him."

Raph held out a hand for the wrench, grabbing Taus' wrist as she tried to hand it to him. He yanked her face to face again as he fell back on the creeper, resulting on her practically laying across his plastron.  
"We'll finish this little 'project' of ours later, 'k?" he drawled. Unable to resist the heat in his gaze, Tau found herself saying "Ok." without a second thought. With a devilish grin, and stealing a final quick kiss, Raph let her sit back up again to wheel his way back under the truck.

Not completely convinced Don wouldn't have noticed them at all, Tau crept up to steal a glance over the edge of the bonnet. Don had his shell to her, and she could hear he was busy scrubbing something metal with a wire brush as he hummed to himself tunelessly. Not wanting to disturb him, and conceding Raph had been right about his brother, Tau silently sank back down to her spot kneeling on the floor.

As soon as Tau disappeared from sight, Don cast a glance over his shoulder in her and Raphs' direction. A quirky little grin etched on his face.


	18. Epilogue

DISCLAIMER: I don't own the TMNT, or any related characters (much to their relief, I'm sure!) If there is anything else in this story you recognise from somewhere else, then I don't own that either.

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"Mmmm, Raph? We should get going soon."  
"Just 'nother coupla minutes."  
"Ooh, no! Don't nip me there!" Tau protested, not very strongly and in vain. She succumbed to a groan as her knees turned to jelly at the feel of Raphs' teeth grazing the sensitive skin behind her ear. His hand at work under her shirt, kneading her breast, and his thigh wedged high between her legs doing nothing to help her cause either. Not that she had the gumption to actually put a halt to his attentions. She was enjoying herself far too much for that.

The 'clang' of something falling loudly on the alley floor, outside the alcove they were in, made them both freeze. Both had their heartbeats pounding in their ears as they waited anxiously to hear anything more. Gradually, as the silence stretched, they relaxed.

"We'd better get going, huh?" Raph muttered dejectedly. He gave Taus' nipple a final gentle tweak in farewell before he extracted himself from her clothing. Tau just as reluctant to pull her hands out of the top of his trench-coat, letting her fingers trail along his collar-bone first.  
"Yeah." she breathed, not bothering to mask the disappointment in her voice.

A few minutes later Tau was snuggled tight against Raphs' carapace. She was oblivious to the blur of early evening traffic surrounding them. Her hand crept down to his thigh, delighting in the feel of the corded muscle shifting beneath the tight denim. Cautiously, she slipped her fingers further down the inside of his leg, and up to where she could feel the hard lower-edge of his plastron through the material.

The bike swerved suddenly, making Tau panic she'd distracted Raph enough to make him crash. She threw one arm protectively over her head as the bike careened into a narrow, darkened alley. To her great relief, when they jerked to a halt an instant later, the bike remained upright.

"Raph, I'm so sor…"  
"Here," Raph cut her off tersely as he leapt off the bike, "Look after this and stay put. Got it?" Not waiting for her answer, he shoved his helmet into her hands and stalked off into the shadows. Shaken and stunned, it took Tau a few moments to pick out what was happening at the far end of the blind alley. A gang of kids were closing in on a younger boy; none of them so much as glanced her way. And none seemed to realise Raph was silently closing in on them…

"Since yer a snot-nosed little freshman, I'll explain how this works for you again using small words." sneered a tall boy at the head of the pack. "You pay us. What we tell ya, an' when we tell ya. You didn't. So now we gots ta rough you up a bit to make sure ya learn better fer next time."  
"I ain't afraid o' you!" the younger boy valiantly stood his ground.  
"Heh, yeah, right!" chortled another of the bigger boys. "That's why you ran from us like a widdle baby. But we got ya caught now!"  
"I wasn't runnin'! I just wanted to get you all where I wanted ya. I can take ya all!" the young boy exclaimed, fists at the ready and his chin jutted in staunch determination.

The laughter of the gang as they closed in on the boy was interrupted by a low, vicious growl. Looking back over their shoulders for the source of the sound, the older kids quickly huddled together as a large shape coalesced from the deeper shadows along the alley wall. The bulky silhouette swiftly approached, making the kids step back in fear. An instant later a bizarre green and crimson face was directly in front of them -brightly lit from beneath, teeth bared and eyes menacing- accompanied by a terrifying snarl of "Fresh meat!"

The shrill screams of the kids echoed within the passageway, continuing to ring in the air for a long moment after the last of them had fled the scene. The young boy was left facing the monster alone.  
"Ra… Raphael?"  
"Yeah Tyler, it's me. Good to see yer keepin' yourself outta trouble." quipped Raph, directing the beam from his torch to the ground.

"I wasn't _in_ trouble!" Tyler stomped his foot. "I coulda taken 'em. But now those guys are probably gonna pick on me even more. They're gonna think I tricked them or something, 'cuz I wasn't scared by you! Thanks a lot for nuthin'!"  
"Whoa, whoa there kid." Raph grabbed Tyler by the shoulder to stop him storming out of the alley. "You really reckon those kids are still gonna be pickin' on ya?"  
"I told you last time, my name's _not_ 'kid'! And yeah, those guys pick on _everybody_. The only way to stop 'em is to beat 'em all!"

"Listen ki-, Tyler. You trusted me before, right?" Raph crouched a little, level with the boy.  
"Yeah?" Tyler admitted.  
"Well trust me now when I tell ya, you can't solve all your problems with your fists."  
"You do." pouted the boy. Raph gave a low chuckle.  
"Nah, I don't. Not all of 'em. And even I know when I'm outnumbered. You gotta learn to recognize when ya can win by fightin', and when ya need to use different tactics."

Tyler scuffed his shoe against the bitumen as he considered Raphs' advice.  
"Well, what kinda 'tactics' can _I_ use, huh?" he asked, a slight note of petulance remained in his tone. "The last kid to make a stand against some of the jerks in that gang ended up… It really wasn't pretty, 'k! What c'n I do to stop 'em doin' that to me? I'm no ninja or nuthin'."  
"Heh! D'ya want me to let ya in on a li'l secret? You wanna know what a ninjas' ultimate weapons are?" cajoled Raph with a wink.  
"Yeah! Do I ever!" enthused Tyler, adding a circumspect "Please?"

"Ok then, kid." said Raph, with deliberate emphasis on the word 'kid'. "To be a great ninja all you need is this," he tapped Tyler hard on the forehead, making the boy blink. "And this." Raph poked him again; this time on his chest, over his heart. "That's how I just beat that whole gang for ya."

Tyler stared at Raph for a long minute.  
"That's it? How the heck is that gonna help me?!" he cried, throwing his hands in the air in frustration. Raph bit back a snarl.  
"Yeah, well maybe I ain't the best at explaining this stuff." he muttered, half to himself. "But here, let me show ya what I mean." he offered, untying the knot in his bandanna. Tyler looked on, confused as Raph threw his mask on the ground, standing to stomp it repeatedly into the filthy, damp alley floor. Picking it up again, Raph fished out a sai from inside his coat, and set about ripping one end of the fabric to shreds.

"There we go." Raph gave a satisfied nod as he inspected the ruined material, then he shoved it into the boys' hands.  
"Ugh!" Tyler all but dropped clammy, grimy bundle in revulsion. "What am I supposed to do with this?!"  
"Let the losers in that gang see it. Don't go shoving it their faces or anythin'. Try to make it like they get to see it by accident. Have part of it hangin' outta your bag or somethin'. Use the fact you weren't scared o' me to your advantage, and let them fool themselves over why you weren't."

The look of baffled disgust gradually drained from Tylers' face, comprehension slowly dawning.  
"You mean, make 'em think that I'm too tough for 'em, 'cos I beat _you_?"  
"Yeah. Now ya usin' this." grinned Raph, roughly tousling the boys' hair. "C'mon, let's get you home, 'k."  
"Ok." Tyler fell into step behind the turtle. "Oh, and hey Raph?"  
"Yeah?"  
"Thanks."  
"No probs, Tyler."

Preoccupied with shoving the mask into his pocket, grimacing as the dampness of it seeped through to his leg, Tyler almost walked into Raphs' shell. He hadn't seen the bike parked in the deep shadows cast within the alley by the nearby streetlights.  
"Watch it there, kid." Raph turning back away made Tyler realise someone else was stood beside the bike too.

"Hey Tau, lend us your helmet will ya? I should get Tyler home before it gets too late. You good to wait here? I shouldn't be more than five minutes."  
"Sure." shrugged the girl, offering her helmet to Tyler with a smile.  
"You have a bike?" asked Tyler, astonished. "And who are you?" he jutted a finger at Tau. "Ow!"  
"Don't point. And this is, uh… Well I guess you could say she's my, ah, girlfriend."

Tyler shot Raph a look of supreme disgust.  
"_You_ have a girlfriend?!"  
"Raph." Tau cautioned, quick to grip the turtles' shoulder in restraint as his lip curled. "It's ok. Remember he's only a kid."  
"I am _not_ a kid!" Tyler stomped his foot, then turned his ire on Raph. "How can _you_ have a girlfriend?! They're gross! Don't you know girls are where cooties _come_ from?! Ugh!" the boy shuddered in revulsion.

"What?!" Tyler demanded defensively as both Raph and Tau stared at him in disbelief. Raph felt torn, unsure whether to rip a strip off the kid regardless, or crack up laughing. A quick glance at Taus' sour expression solved the quandary for him.  
"Bwahahaha!!"

Despite the chill look she treated them both to; Tau didn't fuss as Tyler finally took her proffered helmet. Instead she returned Raphs' quick kiss 'goodbye' with enough fervour to make Tyler almost fall of the bikes' saddle as he pretended to retch.

True to his word, Raph wasn't gone long.  
"So how'd you know that kid anyway?" Tau asked as she swung her leg over the bike. Raph shoved up his helmets' visor.  
"We helped each other outta a bind a while back."  
"Yeah? Well I s'pose most boys go through an 'ew, girls!!' phase. And it is sweet of you to help him out like that." her grin swiftly hidden by her pulling on her helmet.  
"Hmph." grunted Raph derisively. "Dunno why anyone would wanna have kids. Me? I'm glad Donnie reckons us mutants can't have 'em. Little buggers are more trouble than they're worth."

Tau quirked an eyebrow, but didn't get a chance to respond as Raph abruptly revved the Shell-cycle and sped them away.

-------- --------

Tau failed to stifle another massive yawn.  
"Would you care for some more tea?" Splinter offered kindly.  
"No thank you Sensei." she rose from the couch, "I think I'll hit the hay instead. Good night."  
"Good night, Tausha-san."

Slowly making her way up the stairs, Tau found herself wondering why she still bothered to wait up at all on nights like this. She'd learned pretty darned quickly that when on a training run topside, the turtles were rarely home again before the small hours of the morning. She'd made the mistake once before of staying up until 3am, waiting for them to return. The embarrassment of getting caught out dozing at work the next day, coupled with Mr Valentino's subsequent reminders of the risks he was taking in employing her, were enough to convince Tau it was an error in judgement she couldn't afford to make again.

Sitting heavily on the edge of her bed, Tau gave a despondent sigh before slipping her shirt off over her head. A sudden commotion downstairs had her pulling the shirt back on again in a rush. Racing out to the ledge she gasped as she saw Casey being helped out of the elevator and over to the couch, Leo and Raph under each arm to support the vigilante as he staggered. Mike followed behind the trio, assisting Don to walk. All five of them were covered in blood and grime.

Splinter was busy checking over his sons' wounds, so it was Leo who greeted Tau with a terse smile as she arrived beside the couch. Hand to her mouth, she was at a loss as to what to say, what to do. The sudden memory of being coated in gore that assaulted her forced her to give a shiver.  
"Hun is still alive." Leo informed her levelly.  
"And kicking! Owww." added Mike with a groan.  
"Oh." Taus' face somehow fell even further. "I… I'm so sorry."  
"This ain't your fault Tau." Raph grunted; teeth clenched as Splinter probed a deep, ragged gash on his leg. "If anything this is Casey's fault." Raph turned to his buddy. "What the hell did you do to piss him off enough to come after you like that?"

"What did _I_ do?" objected Casey.  
"Yeah Case-man!" Mike interjected, "If we hadn't gotten outta there when we did, Hun woulda had your guts for garters! You were totally in his sights tonight dude."  
"Pfft! I coulda taken him, easy!" Casey puffed out his chest, winced then let his body crumple again with a groan. "But I got no idea why he was gunnin' after me like that. I haven't even seen 'im since… Uh. Oh yeah! Since that night at the building lot with Tau. And you guys took down more Purple Dragons than I did that night. So I'da thought he'd be more pissed at you than me! Hell, even Tau did him more damage than I managed to."

Tau failed to hide her grimace at Casey words, shame forcing her gaze to the floor.  
"Tausha-san?" Tau struggled to meet Splinters' eyes, torn and confused by the conflict of emotions within herself; relief her father was ok, distress over her friends being hurt so, the confronting proof that her closest friends and her father truly were mortal enemies. Tau didn't think she could handle talking about it all right now. She was still struggling to comprehend all the ramifications herself.  
"Tausha-san." Splinter repeated; his calm tone unchanging. "Could you assist me with this bandage?"

The wave of relief Tau felt brought a crooked smile briefly to her face.  
"Of course Master Splinter." she stepped over quickly, intensely grateful to have something to do to help out. And for the lack of inquisition.

"Hmmm, perhaps it was the fact you tried turning Tau over to Hun that night Casey." reasoned Don.  
"What? I was doin' the guy a favour!" Casey protested.  
"True." Don conceded. "But as far as Hun is aware, you were the last person he knows that had any contact with Tau. Maybe he blames you for her running away from him again. Or thinks you might have some information that will help him to locate her."  
"Well, Hun wouldn't be wrong there." pointed out Mike.

Leo absorbed the conversation with a nod.  
"I think you're going to have to be more careful about going up against Hun from now on Casey." he advised.  
"What? I've been fightin' Hun since I was a kid, Leo. Why the hell would I stop now?"  
"Because," interjected Splinter, "now Hun isn't just fighting you for himself. He is fighting you for his daughter. Do you not fight harder when those you care for are at stake, Casey-san?"  
"Well, yeah. But I dunno that he cares that much about her." shrugged Casey.  
"Hun cares for Tausha, Casey. In his own way."

Unsure what to make of Splinters' assurance, Casey looked away. Missing the thankful little half-smile Tau gave the Sensei.

An hour later all of Casey and the turtles' wounds had been tended to. And Tau found herself with the job of clearing the bottom bunk in Mikes' room to give Casey somewhere to sleep. Picking the junk up off the bed wasn't hard, but finding somewhere else in the room to put it proved a challenge. Until Tau decided that junk was junk and settled for dumping the lot with the rest of the mess on the floor at the end of the bed. She was brushing the last of the crumbs off the mattress as Leo and Mike helped Casey through the doorway.

Tau left the room as the turtles settled Casey in the bed. She waited outside patiently until Leo stepped outside, gaining his attention with a light touch on his arm.  
"I just wanted to say, thank you. For letting me know Dad's ok. I mean, I didn't want _this_ to happen, but…"  
"It's okay Tau." Leo assured, placing a hand lightly on her shoulder. "I know you didn't. And you're welcome."

They shared a smile for a moment, before Leo walked away to his own room. He didn't close his door, however. So Tau dared not do more than look-in on Raph briefly as she made her way to her own bed.

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A/N: I do hope you all enjoyed this tale, and I thank you most gratefully for your support in reading my work. Unfortunately I have come to the decision that this will be the last story I will post here on FFNet. I am not giving up writing, and I will be continuing with the Tausha Tales. But from now on I will only be posting my stories on the Pizzas and Scrolls fan fiction archive.


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